Get Back Up
by Glimare
Summary: There was a mole, one who played a long game.  The team was betrayed, crushed.  Robin nearly died.  What are they going to do now?  Only one chirped the answer.  Get back up. WARNING: lots of talking, little action, many follow ups
1. Get Back Up

**Disclaimer:** Last I checked, DC owned young justice. Let me check my records again... *looks* nope! still don't own it myself. But if by chance I am right, I'm so rubbing it in! Written 12-5-11

FYI: I came up with this long ago! The, 'who's the mole' answer. I did it by a process of elimination and if I was writing a story and wanted to really jerk people's chains hard. This is all aftermath stuff. Robin kinda explains my logic. Read to know.

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><p><em><strong>Get Back Up<strong>_

The room could only be seen as misery. Not a soul within was whole. The lights were at their minimal level partly because they didn't want to see each other, and partly to hide their own thoughts on their faces. They knew what their conditions were. After all, they saw it happen to each other just last week.

Two weeks ago they were a team. A family. Friends. Just two weeks. The week that followed gave them no hint of what was to come. They had a mission at the end of that week, and during that mission their lives changed forever.

There was a mole. A very clever one. One who played a long game with each of them. The mole played its part perfectly for years. And that was what made the betrayal so painful.

Looking around anyone could see the mole's handy work.

During their last fight, Wally's knee was nearly blasted off. He had several other cuts and bruises, plus internal bleeding, but the knee had been the real blow. During the fight he had to go faster than ever before, and somehow that triggered a rapid healing factor in his powers. He had to have an immediate knee replacement without anything to dull the pain. His metabolism wouldn't let them take affect. Out of all of them, he was the closest to recovered. He quietly smoldered on the couch.

M'gann suffered from lacerations from their betrayer's weapons. The cuts weren't healing quickly, but that was expected since she only had Earth medicine to work with. The real blow for her was to her heart. She trusted this person so much with her life, and she was the first to go down. Quietly, depressed and not feeling up for anything, she worked on autopilot making a meal for everyone.

Conner's arm was in a cast, his eyes down towards the floor. He was the strongest of them, supposedly invulnerable, but somehow even without kryptonite the mole was able to take him down. Remnants of bruises and cuts from their foe's weapons were scattered on his body, but he ignored them all. Being the boy of steel, he should have been able to defeat this person, but all the good times played in his mind while they fought. He could hardly throw a punch at him.

Artemis busied her self best she could in her chair, despite all her wounds. Her shoulder was tightly wrapped to keep it back in place. Her favored wrist and ankle were also strapped tight. She was lucky in a way. These minor wounds helped her only get a black eye and have her knocked out. Still, everything smarted and she bitterly worked on her arrows, hoping to use them soon.

Last they knew, Robin was still in a coma. Batman took him away as soon as he was stabilized. He was the first leaguer on the scene too. The look of pure horror on his face when he arrived to save them was one they'd never forget. The usually stoic man ran to his beaten bird's side with a speed making anyone jealous. From what they could tell back then and what Black Canary told them when they woke up the following day, Robin was in the worse condition. Concussion, three broken ribs, internal injuries all throughout his body, his collarbone cracked, several joints out of place, and the same lacerations the rest of the team received.

Robin just wouldn't stop fighting Kaldur until he couldn't fight anymore.

Kaldur, their leader, Aqualad, their friend. Their traitor.

Robin called in the league the minute Kaldur turned on them. His brief message was cut off of course, but Robin calling for help was the same as declaring war on a small country. No one could really believe it, and that was why they were beaten so badly. Somehow Robin recovered first from the shock, maybe he had guessed what could happen before and was more prepared. Or maybe something had already happened like this to him. They might never know. While they were trying to both fight and deal emotionally with the betrayal, the team dropped like flies.

Robin held his own for a long time. Longer than any of the others at least. His agility, fighting style and weapons gave him enough of an edge to actually wound Kaldur too. Their former friend now would have a series of scars across his chest, plus a bad acid burn down one arm and leg. But none of that hindered him from nearly killing Robin.

They still weren't sure what saved them all. The league hadn't made it there yet and there was no ride arriving for Kaldur. The vague hope of him still thinking of them as his friends seemed laughable right then. They only remember how he tossed Robin to the side, then coldly looked down on them all. "Quit his life of yours young heroes. Or the next time we meet, you won't be so lucky."

Thinking now, they figured a little more out. The reason they were only lightly hurt in comparison to Robin was because he was a hero through and through. He always thought of them first, and did everything he could, even sacrificing himself, just to keep them all safe. Recent drills and coaching proved he was learning how to be a good leader too. He was still a kid compared to them, but he was maturing fast. He would never change sides and would never stand on the sidelines. That's who he was.

But the rest of them…

Artemis hid her option to join the bad guys easily, mostly because she wanted nothing more to do with her dad. Conner left Cadmus to make his own life, to choose his own path, but the path he could easily have taken was to be a weapon for them, whomever they were. M'gann could have stayed on Mars or just mingled among humans easily enough, she didn't have to follow her uncle's footsteps. Wally's family would have been fine with him just living a normal life, and his uncle would fully support him retiring. They weren't Robin. They could all leave at any time.

Yet there they were, hiding in the cave some of them called home, trying to think of what to do now, what happened, and what was really real those past eight months. The missions, their dangers, their hopes, their lives, their friendships. What was real? What was faked? What was scripted for them? Was Kaldur ever their friend?

"I still can't get why he did it all."

The group looked at Wally as he spoke, starting at the ground. "Why did he pretend to be our friend? Why work so hard for something so good and great, then throw it away to hurt everyone and everything you ever cared for? It doesn't make sense."

"Maybe," M'gann started, a vain hope in her voice, "maybe it was an act! Maybe something's being held over his head and he's trying to save us!"

"Get back to reality M'gann." Artemis cleaned an arrow, glaring at every speck of dust on it as if it were Kaldur's face. "If he really was trying to protect us, why did he nearly kill Robin? Why did he try to kill us?"

"He had to make it look real." M'gann was still trying to gain hope from nothing. "There were cameras around, or a psychic, or—"

"Would you grow up?" The blond jumped to her feet infuriated. "There isn't another option! He betrayed us! Tried to kill us! He'd probably kill his own mother if she was with us! You heard him! He said to quit or he'd kill us all next time!"

"But Kaldur—" M'gann started, but Conner cut her off numbly

"He was going to kill Robin right then and there. There was no mercy in his eyes." Everyone flinched, knowing it was true. "Robin was his only real threat compared to us. He might already be—"

"He'll pull through," Wally interjected, snapping his face around. "If there's anything I know about Robin, it's that he's a stubborn survivor. We will see him again. It'll be a bit but we will see him."

Everyone fell silent again. There were two elephants in the room: Kaldur's betrayal and Robin's condition. Neither were easy to bring up.

Then M'gann brought in a third one. "Then, what about us? What's going to happen to us? To the team?"

They looked at each other again. Was it even team anymore? They practically lost two members, their leader and the second in command. Could they even trust each other? Artemis kept secrets, Conner was a liability due to his creation (they found a sleeper program in his head about a month back), and M'gann held back information from time to time. The only one left to lead them, if they stayed a team, was Wally, and he hardly could meet that challenge. He couldn't even rally their spirits, especially since his were so far down.

"I don't know," he admitted slowly. "What are we going to do?"

"We get back up and try again."

Everyone jerked their heads around to the voice as he turned on the light. There in the doorway, the only one in uniform, stood Robin, a determined smirk on his face. He stood his ground, but had one hand on the doorframe for extra support. They could see the bandages bulging under his uniform and all the bruises from the week before. Frankly, he looked like he could topple over at any moment but would never let that happen.

"ROBIN!"

Everyone leapt to their feet to greet him, but he held out a hand, wincing slightly. "Still not 100% guys, so hold off on the hugs for now. A seat would be nice though."

"What happened?" "What are you doing here?" "Is Batman with you?" "When did you wake up?" Everyone's questions at the same time made Robin wince again as he tried to get to the couch to sit in his favorite place.

"One at a time guys, and not so loud. Still have a concussion." He managed to sit down and the others quickly followed suit, Conner on the coffee table, Artemis in her chair, and Wally and M'gann on either side of Robin, ready to support him. He leaned back in his seat and gave a heavy sigh. Coming there to them wore him out.

"To answer your questions, I kinda snuck out of the cave to check on you guys, make sure everyone else was okay. Batman said you were, but I had to be sure. They say after I woke up, he took off to help the rest of the league save Atlantis. Kaldur didn't just betray us you know. He betrayed his king, his country, and his friends there.

"In a way it was a good thing we didn't become full league members that day, eh Wally? If we had," Robin gave his best friend a knowing smirk, "then the whole league would probably be in danger too, putting everyone on Earth on alert. We're gonna have to talk to Roy about this later. Surprised he's not here."

"But what are you doing here? You're still—" M'gann's concern brought a smile to Robin's lips.

"I'm good enough to move around a little, and I swore to them I'd take it easy. Benched for at least a month. No field work for me. Just really," the concern on his face took away from his smile, "I had to make sure everyone was okay. The way he took you all down was…"

They lapsed into silence, Robin controlling his breathing more than anything. He tried again. "I've already lost a lot of people in my life. I don't want to lose anyone else. We're a team, friends, family. We… we can't just fall apart because of him. Because one of us is taken down. Because of one mission. We've been hurt badly, but we can take the dis out of this. We just need to get back up."

Artemis slightly huffed to the side, trying to conceal the pain on her face. "Easy for you to say. This is your life. This was most of ours first time with a team or partnership. How can we even hope to win now? He took us all down so quickly, I just can't see us—"

"Every time we fall, we have to pick ourselves back up and keep going. Never let our fears and pasts take control of our hopes and futures." Robin looked straight into her eyes as he spoke, emphasizing every word. "That's what my dad would say."

"Your dad's Batman," Conner started. "Of course he'd say something like—"

"Batman's not my dad." They all stared at him in disbelief. This whole time they were certain they were father and son. It was in the way they acted around each other and the stories he told. Robin always had a special way of speaking when Batman was there or involved. How could they not be related?

"But we're kinda like that, I guess." Robin stared at his feet, bighting back something. "My parents died a long time ago. Batman took me in and I found the bat-cave on my own. I became Robin on my own. Batman made me his partner so I wouldn't get killed. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. Still is."

Everyone stared at Robin, trying to grasp what he told them best they could. Robin never shared his origin story with them. Even now it was vague, but it was enough.

He stopped for a moment to let his story sink in. "There's a lot you don't know about me, but that's because you never asked. We didn't ask Kaldur about his past, just how he met Aquaman. Maybe a little about his powers. But that was all. Everything else was kept secret. Batman says we all have the right to a secret identity, mostly because he doesn't want to be a hypocrite about not sharing his with most the league. The only reason I wear this mask now is to keep his secret, our secret, so no one will be hurt because of it."

He looked up to them all, no emotion on his face. "We all keep secrets, some to protect others, and others because we're scared for ourselves. Some of them will hurt us, while others will guard each other. Other than mine and Batman's identities, my life's an open book. Ask anything. I'll tell you everything I can."

"Why are you saying this?" M'gann started, slightly confused and a little scared.

"Yeah, what are you aiming at?" Wally was only baffled. Why the heart to heart?

"We need to trust each other, with anything." Robin looked at Wally squarely. "Once Batman gives the 'OK', I'm ripping off this mask. I hate not telling the truth to you guys. As a team, we have to trust each other completely. As friends, we really don't want to keep secrets like this."

"But Kaldur—" M'gann started but Robin cut her off.

"No matter what casual conversation we had, he never talked about his childhood, about his family or about his personal life in general. We only knew his life as Aqualad. Who in the end really was Kaldur?"

"He had a girlfriend," M'gann started once more, "and a best friend. He went to a school with them for a while."

"And before that?" Robin pressed, trying to make his point. "What about his family? His likes, dislikes? His habits? How he got certain scars, why he used certain techniques? Why is he black when all the other Atlantians I've seen are white or look more like fish?"

They looked around to each other, realizing they didn't know a think about Kaldur. Really, who was he? Why did they make him their leader?

Well the answer to that was obvious. He was the oldest and seemingly most level headed. They were a young team, they needed someone like that. So they picked him. And it seemed at every other turn, Kaldur would either say he should resign or would rein them under his leadership. He was a hard person to pin down.

"All I'm saying," Robin continued, getting his breathing under control again, "is we can't keep dangerous secrets from each other. At the worst possible time they're going to come spilling out, so we need to—"

"My dad's Sportsmaster." "I'm a white martian!"

The boys jerked and stared at the two girls, both petrified at what they spewed out at the same time. Robin visibly winced but no one said a thing more. Wally stared at Artemis bewildered while Conner blinked in wonder at M'gann. The girls looked at each other, both knowing they were going to need to explain their stories, but neither knew who should go first.

"Wait, Sportsmaster?" Wally ended up choosing by asking first.

Artemis took in a deep breath. "Yeah. He's my dad. Green Arrow isn't my uncle. No relation, at all."

"And you're… with us…" The speedster still didn't quite get it.

"After what he did to my mom, me, our whole family, of course I am!" Anger started to take control of her face as she explained. "Dad wanted a family of assassins, the best. Since I was a kid he made me learn to fight, to steal, even tried to make me kill. Every time I did something he didn't like, he…"

She bit back the pain of her memories, took a breath and continued. "I picked up the bow after hearing dad complain about Green Arrow. I guess it was my idea of rebelling, but he taught me how to shoot anyway. Then he…" she took another breath. "My first kill was supposed to be you Robin."

Robin blinked, unconsciously backing into his seat as she continued.

"Dad had me track you when you were alone, then told me to shoot an arrow like GA's. It was supposed to be the perfect frame up, turn two prominent members of the league against each other. I couldn't do it. I wouldn't."

She bit back her horror of what happened. "He didn't like that. I ended up shooting his leg and running off. I ran to Star City and found Green Arrow, told him everything. I begged for help. And he did. Sportsmaster's identity is in the league database and I was freed from him.

"Green Arrow even found my mom." Artemis looked at the ground, remembering that day. "Dad… he did something to her. Tricked her in a way. I thought she was in jail the whole time and I stayed with Dad waiting for her to return. She wasn't. He had her taken away somewhere. He crippled her. We're living together in Gotham now, one of our old apartments."

She took another breath before continuing. "After everything Green Arrow did for me, I wanted to repay him somehow. I wanted to do something for the league. They gave me my life back, now I wanted to repay them. That's what I was doing when you guys were fighting AMAZO last summer. Right after that, Green Arrow asked me if I wanted to become one of the team. I thought of it as a way to repay them, to get back at my dad, and… to make up for all the bad things my family's done."

No one said a word. Robin had guessed only a fraction of the truth, but the rest floored them. No wonder Batman and GA had taken so much consideration with the girl. Robin owed his life to her. M'gann and Conner didn't know what to think, and it was very evident on their faces. Wally merely gaped at her. Sportsmaster was the JSA's problem most of the time, but they fought him once. Their first real mission.

"Your dad is Sportsmaster?"

Artemis took in a deep breath before answering him. "Yeah. And Cheshire's my older sister."

"YOUR SISTER?" Wally was nearly on his feet and Robin had jerked forward again. He winced and gripped his head before talking anymore. "So that night with the nano-bots—"

"I was scared!" Artemis's pleading face was all she could do to defend her actions. "It was my first mission and if she told you anything—"

"I get it. I get it." Robin continued to grip his head. It was beginning to pound.

"Well I don't! You really let her get away!" Wally jerked violently looking at her and then to the rest of the team. "That lady tried to kill us!"

"Wally, if at the beginning you knew any of this, would you have given Artemis a chance?" Robin looked over to his friend, exhaustion creeping back into his face. Wally stopped a moment, then realized the truth. "Exactly. We'd think she was just like them instead of like us. How many times has she saved our hides?"

"More than I can count," Conner started, and M'gann nodded in support.

Wally gave a bitter pout then sat back down. "You still let her go."

"I'm sorry," Artemis started. "Next time I won't."

"And next time she won't have anything to threaten you with either." Robin gave a short encouraging smile, then looked at M'gann. "Now what was that about being a white martian?"

M'gann gulped. She was still afraid to tell them, so she decided to show them. Slowly her skin turned white, revealing her true form as she tried to explain. "On Mars, there're two kinds of Martians, Green and White. The greens are most common and dominate the social structure. Whites though…" Pain crossed M'gann's face as she continued slowly. "We're pretty much second class citizens. We aren't slaves, but we may as well be. There have been so many wars…"

It was getting hard for her to talk, so everyone just looked at her. She looked like the M'gann they all knew and loved, just white instead of green. Chalk white. A little creepy but not if they knew she was an alien to begin with.

"So you're white. What of it?" Robin gave a 'so what' attitude to prove it didn't matter on Earth. "You're still you. And to keep up that illusion for so long, you're really talented."

"Amazingly talented," Conner added, still watching M'gann.

"Are you still J'onn's niece?" Wally took a quick glance at Artemis, still not sure where to go with her revelations.

M'gann looked away, not wanting to say it. Instead she changed back to her green color. "I wish I were. I wish I were a green, naturally."

Robin kept his hand on his head, choosing not to say anything about white Marians. He heard J'onn talking to Batman about them before, years ago. M'gann wasn't anything like them, at least nothing like what he heard about them. She was far too nice.

"Well if you want to be technical," Robin imputed instead, "everyone on Earth's related somehow. So let's say 'niece', 'nephew' and 'cousin' are all codes for 'we may as well be family, because I think of you that way'. I mean, Wally and Flash aren't blood relatives right?"

Wally laughed a little. "Yeah. He married my aunt. Still thought he was cool. And you said Batman's practically your dad."

"Pretty close. Artemis' dad sucks, so she decided to get herself a cool 'uncle'. And life sucked on Mars so you got a great 'uncle' and moved to Earth. That's what I'm getting, right?" Both Artemis and M'gann looked at the older heroes and gave appreciative smiles.

"Pretty much it."

"Exactly."

The boys grinned at each other, then they all looked at silent Conner. He gave them all a bewildered look. "Don't look at me. I can't have any secrets. I've been with you guys ever since I left Cadmus. And you found that sleeper program in me a while ago."

"And that's easily suppressed until we can get it removed," Wally confirmed. "And I'm an open book. Ask me anything."

Robin gave Conner a knowing look, smirking slightly. "Oh? And what about that secret of yours you've had since Bel Reve?"

He looked over to M'gann and instantly the two of them blushed. Artemis rolled her eyes. She already came to grips with this. Wally was the only one left in the dark. "Secret? What secret?"

"You really should say it," Robin pestered, now just teasing them. "It'd be kinder to everyone."

"Say… what?" Conner continued to play stupid, but M'gann put her eyes to her lap, trying to suddenly become invisible.

"Hey, why you becoming invisible?"

"Oh for the love of…" Artemis had enough. "Wally, they're dating! Have been for months!"

"Say what?" Wally blinked in surprise. The concept was having a hard time reaching his brain. Maybe it was all the other information he'd just learned that made it difficult to compute.

"We're… involved…" M'gann started, and for some reason Robin leaned back in his chair, huffing out a short laugh.

"No, you two are dating, high school sweet hearts. Batman and Catwoman are involved. Superman and Lois Lane are crushing on each other, but really need to admit it. And your aunt and uncle are deeply in love." He ended his sarcastic explanation looking over to Wally. This won a quick smirk from Artemis and confused glances from the aliens.

Wally still just stared at them in shock. Slowly things were clicking in his head. It was almost amusing to watch it play out on his face. Finally it donned on him and he threw his hands into the air in frustration. "Oh for the love of— Why didn't you just tell me?"

M'gann shied away. "I didn't want you to be angry or leave the team because of us."

"We really didn't know how to tell anyone," Conner joined in. "It's not like we've had relationships before. And it had nothing to do with the missions."

"But you could have just told me!" Embarrassed desperation took over Wally's face. It was hard for Robin not to laugh at him. "Gah, I feel like such an idiot!" He fell back into his seat, gripping the front of his face.

"This whole time you were… I can't believe I… why didn't I…" Slowly the speedster took a breath to collect his thoughts and emotions. Robin really had a hard time not laughing at him, and Artemis was covering her mouth. Finally he uncovered his face. "You should have just told me. I'm not the kind of guy who'd leave his friends because two of them decided to hook up. Everyone here means too much to me to just leave.

"Next time you're holding out on me like this, just say it." The alien couple stared in disbelief as he honestly gave his consent. "I'll be fine with it after a while."

"Thanks Wally." Conner smiled for the first time since Kaldur's betrayal while M'gann put her hand on his knee.

In his seat, Robin watched his team, smiling slightly. When he entered the room, they looked ready to break apart. Now they looked like they would stick together through thick and thin. They just needed a push in the right direction.

Now was the hard part.

"Looks like all our unpleasant secrets are in the open." The team looked at Robin, who had to bring up something gloomy again. "Next time we get in a fight, there's nothing holding us back from helping each other, from taking down the bad guys. Everyone but one that is."

Everyone's eyes narrowed. Kaldur.

"What do you think he's going to do with all the information he's got on us?" M'gann tried to hide the fear in her voice, but her eyes spoke her concerns. She wasn't ready to fight him again.

"Very little right now." Robin leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and supporting his chin in his hands. "If we know him as well as we think we do, he'll move slowly. First thing he's done is betray Atlantis. Right now there's a battle on the ocean floor, and over half the league is trying to end it quickly. Kaldur's using his information on Atlantis and King Orin, probably the original reason he became a spy. He had to get every bit of information he could, gain Aquaman's trust. Maybe he was supposed to kill him at one point. We won't know for some time."

"Think they'll succeed?" Wally asked quickly. "Think the bad guys are gonna take Atlantis?"

"It's a full on war Wal. It'll be a while before it ends. The League is just trying to make it end faster." Robin looked around the others slowly. "More than likely, he'll give as much information on different members of the League as he can, but he'll hold back on us. We're more… personal. He'll try to take us on his own, but it'll be some time before he recovers."

There was a hint of a smile going across everyone's lips. Kaldur wouldn't recover very quickly without the League's techniques or toys. "Like I said, it was a good thing we didn't join the League that day. All he can give is info on Red Tornado, Black Canary, Captain Marvel, Zatara, Martian Manhunter, and Batman, and even then most of what he knows is public knowledge. Where the League is concerned, he's got nothing.

"But us, he might be able to ruin us." Everyone seemed to take a deep breath, knowing it was possible. Kaldur knew them all rather well, even if for the most part they shared very little with him. Robin continued. "He knows at least half of our identities, and through us some of our mentors."

"Crap." They looked at Conner when he realized this. "He was right there when I picked my name! And M'ganns too!"

"Should have been more careful with our secret IDs, shouldn't we." Wally never really hid his identity, and he bragged about his uncle.

"Yeah, we should have." Artemis never gave out her last name, but she didn't have a great hero name either. It was just her name.

"And that's where he's going to hit us." Robin firm look brought them all to attention. "He's going to come after us individually, as civilians or on our home turfs. He'll try to catch us alone, and may even try to convince us he's still our friend. He'll probably start with Artemis, considering your dad."

Artemis stopped, blinking at the idea. "You think he'll try to turn me?"

"Might. He might try to turn all of us."

Wally gave a short laugh and everyone had to agree. "Rob, there's no way in any world he'd turn you to the dark side."

"Oh if we meet again, it'll be a fight to the death." Robin gave them a small dark smirk at the thought. He didn't say who would be fighting, but it was likely Batman wouldn't let Robin go off alone for at least six months because of this. "And I think him trying to talk you or Zatanna or Roy into joining is ridiculous. None of us could go evil. Quit maybe, but turn, never."

"So that leaves us?" M'gann looked a little hurt from the implications of their comments. It sounded like they believed she or Conner or Artemis could turn.

Robin nodded. "He'll try for each of you when you're on your own. All three of you are new to this, and each of you have a way to turn if you wanted to. There's no way you would of course, but there's enough of a possibility that he'll try. And _when_ he fails," the other three brightened slightly as he talked, "he'll try to destroy you."

"So what's the plan?" They looked at Artemis and her confident stare at Robin. Then they looked at their impromptu leader.

"No one goes alone." He obviously gave this a lot of thought. "Artemis, you need to stay with friends or allies as much as possible. It'd be a good idea to move too. I can help you and your mom find a new place. We make it difficult to corner you and he can't act if there're civilians everywhere. And the higher profile the civilian, the better. They're always being watched."

Robin thought of Barbara or Bette over at their school. Either of them would be good. Artemis seemed to understand his thoughts, so he looked over to Conner and M'gann. "As for you two, something similar. We're going to have to leave the cave for a while anyway, so it's best of you try living with your mentors or another member of the League."

Both of them jolted. That would mean leaving their school, their teams, the lives they built there. Robin continued anyway. "If we can't get that to happen, then it's best you two hang around each other and in public places as much as possible. When Kaldur comes though, you two have to stop him."

"What?" "How?" they objected together. No one quite knew what Robin was thinking, but it was obvious he put a lot of thought into this. Maybe this was even his big plan.

It was. "To protect all of us, to protect the league, you two are going to stop him. Conner, you have to find a way to keep him down, hold him still. Means a lot of training, but it'll be well worth it. M'gann, with your psychic powers you managed to revive our memories last year. I want you to do the opposite to Kaldur."

"What?" No one could quite believe what Robin was saying. M'gann asked him, in order to clarify, "You want me to… to erase his memories?"

"Or deeply suppress them." Robin nodded, his stare boring into her. "He knows too much. How can any of us expect a peaceful life if he's always there, ready with our identities to take us all down? How can we fight him if he keeps bringing up everything we've done and told him about all this time? He'll use psychological war-fair on us. He'll use everything he knows about us to take us down. It's his most powerful weapon. We have to take that away from him."

"So she just needs to erase his memories of us?" Artemis tried to make him clarify and was rewarded with an answer.

"Everything social, everything personal. Take away names, fun times, faces, stories we told him, all of that. Anything to do with our missions he can keep. Those are out in the open. Trying to make him forget that would make him want to find a way to reverse it. Make the location of the cave foggy. He'll have to remember a meeting location, but if he can't name it or be certain where it is, it'll be unreliable. Maybe mix in a few memories from Mars places. That'll throw him for a loop.

"Can you do that?" Everyone looked over to M'gann who stared numbly at them. She honestly wasn't sure if she could, but she was a stronger psychic than J'onn. If he could do it, then so could she.

She gave them a slow nod. "I'll have to talk to my uncle about it, but I'm sure I can try."

Robin nodded, smiling slightly. "Good. The main mission is to take that out of him. I'm certain the Atlantians will do everything in their power to correct their mistake, and he had nothing on the League securities. Small details we know are probably reported by now. Once you've got his mind taken care of, call in the league. None of us can take him on our own."

"You got that right."

They call looked to the doorway again and saw Red Arrow folding his arms while leaning on the doorframe. He wasn't very happy, but it wasn't towards them. Kaldur's betrayal hurt him too.

"How long have you been standing there?" Conner asked in surprise. He didn't even hear him come in. Didn't hear Robin either.

Roy shrugged. "Long enough. Good plan. Call me in if you see him. I want a few cracks at the fishboy." He looked over the other, twisting his face into a scowl. "Who wrecked fishboy's room? I wanted to do that."

Conner gave a weak smile, raising his good hand. Wally elaborated. "Conner was the first, then Aquaman and Batman when they were looking for clues. I think Black Canary gave it a yell too. You staying to talk?"

"Please, I'm no heart to heart person." Roy got off the doorframe and approached them. "I just want to be certain where everyone's loyalties lie."

Roy looked down to Robin as he leaned back into the sofa. There was a twinge on the archer's face as he saw the damage Kaldur did to the first child hero. Robin lived up to his reputation, that was all there was to it. Batman would be proud if he wasn't in such a horrid condition.

He switched his gaze to the others, assessing what happened to them in moments. Even looking at the beating Artemis took, he could tell where her heart was in this. She gave him a wary glare, but said nothing. Robin and Wally answered for them all.

"We're together, 'til the end." "We're for justice, no matter what."

They looked at the two, every one of them, and smiled, nodding. Roy was satisfied. He gave them all a quick nod before turning to go. "Good. I'm headed back to Star City. All of you should go to your mentor's place and start patrol. While they're underwater, we should be taking care of their jobs."

"But Flash said—" Wally started but Roy cut him off with a smirk.

"And just when did we listen to them when they were away?"

Robin gave a short chuckle, remembering clearly times they ran off on their own missions. Wally blinked for a moment, then grinned at memories. The others gave short smirks to each other as Roy left them. The speedster looked around at everyone. "So, we're still a team?"

Robin nodded firmly. "Whether the League wants it or not, we're a team. We're family."

Conner's face perked from something else as Robin continued to talk. He looked beyond them to the door, not really listening. "Right now we're kinda benched. As soon as we're all able, everyone goes on patrol. Everyone got a cell phone right? Let's exchange numbers and update each other on our situations. We can meet on occasion, but it'll have to be in civies and in public places if we want to keep the League out."

"So you think we're going to be separated because of this?" M'gann wondered out loud.

Robin shrugged, wincing and regretting the movement immediately after. "Not sure. Batman and I haven't really talked since I woke up. Down in Atlantis. He's the one who convinced the rest of the League to support us."

"Bet it was an ultimatum," Artemis whispered.

"Probably was," Robin agreed.

"Uh guys?" Conner started, still looking out the doorway.

But was ignored due to how soft his voice was at the moment. Robin continued. "I'll work on Batman. Knowing him, he'll bench us all for this. Might not let the team continue either. If I can get him to rethink this, he might let us go out again, give us missions and all that. He'll probably change something or do something different to make sure this never happens again. Wally, you work on your uncle. He's the next best support in this. We have to make it clear they can't stop us or they won't help us."

Wally smirked. "Isn't that how we got to be their partners?"

"Guys…" Conner tried again.

"Duh. Works every time."

"What is it Conner?" M'gann seemed to be the only one paying him any attention.

Suddenly a rushing wind blasted through the doorway, stopping just a foot to the side of the couch. They turned with a jolt, and quite a few winces, to see a stressed out Superman standing before them. His gaze was intently on Robin.

"What in all the world were you thinking!"

"I was trying to tell you, the Zeta Tube was activated again. It said he was here." Conner and everyone looked a little nervously at the man of steel, flabbergasted at how frustrated he looked. Most days he looked serious, carefree or just plain friendly. Around the kids he tried to be more responsible. Around certain other Leaguers, he had every expression in the world. Right then he was irked, and a little desperate.

"Do you have any idea what Batman will say when he hears about this?"

"Nice to see you too Superman…" Robin settled back into his seat, looking a little guilty. For a moment, the whole group had forgotten he'd snuck out of the house.

"You're lucky Alfred called me and not him! You're in no condition to be out of the house!"

"Whoa, Supe's worried," Wally muttered, finally seeing the other rumored relationship Robin had with the League. Superman was pretty distant to Conner, despite everything they'd gone through of late, but was very much like an uncle to Robin.

"I promised I wouldn't strain myself." Robin gave a slight pout, going deeper into his seat. "See? I've been sitting still and everything."

"Doesn't matter! Batman's going to throw a fit when he hears about this."

"Does he ever not throw fits about Robin here?" Artemis whispered, beginning to see what having overprotective parents was like at last. Poor kid.

"You're going home. Right now." Superman's firm tone made everyone freeze. If Robin left right then, would any of them see him again? And could any of them stop the man of steel?

Apparently Robin could. Stubbornly he folded his arms, giving the kryptonian a scowl. "No."

"Don't start that with me young man—" Superman started. He must have expected this.

"I'm not going anywhere of my own free will until you promise to take Conner home with you."

Everyone's jaws dropped in disbelief, and none farther than the kryptonians in the room. It was identical, even to the "What?" they asked at the same time.

Robin tried not to laugh. "You try to force me to go home and I'll struggle. Struggling worsens my injuries, might even reopen some wounds. Batman finds out, you eat kryptonite. The only way I won't fight you is if you promise to take Conner home with you."

"Robin, I can't just—" Superman was at a loss for words, gaping at the youngest member in the room. Conner blinked, looking first at Robin then to Superman, hope coming into his eyes.

"If not to Metropolis, then to your parents." Robin kept his gaze firm as he elaborated. Everyone else exchanged looks. His parents? "The mountain isn't safe anymore right? M'gann has a place with her uncle. Conner doesn't. They both need to move out. So, where should he go live? Metropolis, or Kansas?"

"Kansas?" Wally asked quickly, but no one explained it.

Superman and Robin continued their staring contest with everyone watching. M'gann gave Conner her hand, giving it a quick squeeze for comfort. Artemis watched the exchange slightly amused by the genius behind it. Wally tried hard to not smile at Robin's little trap. And Conner, well he actually looked hopefully at the man, the same way he looked at him when they met all those months ago outside of Cadmus.

Slowly Superman closed his eyes and swallowed something. He took a breath before speaking, more to Conner than to Robin. "Are you certain that sleeper program won't activate?"

Conner nodded emphatically. Superman gave a long sigh before nodding slowly. "Guess it's about time then. Alright. I promise I'll take him with me and we'll figure this out. Maybe Ma and Pa will like him."

"They liked you."

This won a quick smirk from Superman. "Alright, alright. I'll do it. I'll take him home. That alright by you?"

He looked over to Conner whose eyes had gotten wide with relief and joy. He nodded emphatically. Superman nodded. "Alright then. Pack your things. Once Robin's safely back to his home, I'll come back and take you to mine."

"Really?" Conner looked up at Superman like a little child having found out there was magic in Christmas. Superman nodded, giving him a small unsure smile. Conner's face split into a broad grin before he leapt up out of his seat excitedly. Without any warning, Superboy hugged Superman, smiling from ear to ear.

Everyone watched in amazement as the two finally started down the right path to being family. Robin untangled his arms as a smile grew on his face. In just half an hour, the group solidified itself as a team, and a boy was able to attach himself to a father. A plan was made, morales were boosted, and the darkness that surrounded them since the betrayal had lightened. They had a path to follow. It was a shame Kaldur would never be apart of it again.

* * *

><p>AN: note the lack of "END" at the bottom here. There's more follow up! Mostly from individual members of the team then a new set up where they really do get back up. Not sure how large the chapters will be, but things have to be done before, you could say, the next season starts. Read a vague rumor saying Kaldur wasn't going to be in the next season much. Rumor only so take a large grain of salt with it.

As for my reasoning on why Kaldur has to be the mole: KF and Robin have long histories, automatic outs. Superboy in the comics was always a good kid who had a sleeper program that made his life a wreck for a while (guilt). M'gann (originally didn't do research on her) was J'onn's niece, so what did she gain being a mole? After research, realized she wasn't the type to betray friends before betraying herself. Artemis was just too obvious to be the traitor, a clear red herring to me. Research made me start doubting this theory, but watching the series only solidified my thoughts. I first thought she was a mesh of several female archers so I wasn't worried over her at all. It's the writer in me I guess. Kaldur was the one without a history and didn't make that much sense to me. Did research lately and found out the only reason he's in the comics (briefly I might add), was for this TV series. And even then, it looks like the history for the kid's changed. So conclusion: kaldur playing a long game or Superboy not having a clue he's doing it. Yes, I came up with this theory long before 'Secrets'. I am batman('s clone/longtime admirer/daughter). *rolls eyes*

Wanted to do a scene where people asked why Kaldur even mentioned there being a mole at all (because Roy was there when Sportsmaster stupidly said it and Red Tornado was a great scapegoat) but I couldn't find a place to put it. Oh well.

I'm gonna try to keep it chronologically, but realize I'm working now on three series, plus have another one on hold. I haven't forgotten about anything, just wanted to get what I've got out.

Oh, I know this is a lot of PS's here, but I have to know who can spot all the references I put in here! They're vague, but so good!


	2. Hiding Pain

**Disclaimer:** did you hit your head or something? how could you possibly forget I don't own Young Justice! Sheesh... DC does duh!

honestly this thing was half written up before I posted the first part. So here we have Robin and Batman recovering, or at least starting to. Same day as the first chapter, but time is flowing.

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><p><strong>Hiding Pain<strong>

Despite Alfred having called Superman when Robin left the cave to meet his friends, Batman already knew. He knew Dick wouldn't stay still once he woke up. It wasn't in his nature. It made past healings quite irksome to deal with, and as the kid grew up he seemed to get out of the house and onto the streets quicker after a huge beating. Did the kid absolutely have to hide how much pain he was in all the time? Pretend everything was okay even when they weren't? Bruce did that, sure, but Dick didn't have to. And even when the injuries were as bad as these, Batman took a few weeks off. They had a plethora of excuses.

This one was rock climbing. He fell.

When Superman deposited Robin into the Batcave coming from a side entrance, Batman was waiting for them. Superman gave out a long sigh as he placed Robin on the floor near the car. "I told you he'd be mad."

Robin visibly paled as he tried to straighten himself. "I… I thought you were in Atlantis."

Batman watched the injured boy, scowling his displeasure. "Came back about twenty minutes after you left. Not much use there. The investigation went cold. Superman, they need you down there."

"Roger. Just need to call the folks first." Robin gave Superman a quick look, making the alien give a nervous laugh. "I'm not going to break my promise Dick. I'll take him home before I go below."

"Take him home?" Batman looked between the two smirking awkwardly at each other.

"Robin made me promise to take Superboy… Conner home. The cave isn't safe and he needs a place after all. He said he'd thrash around when I brought him back if I didn't."

Despite himself, Batman was impressed. In one short hour, Robin managed to get Superman to do something he'd try to get him to do for nearly a year. Course Robin used making his injuries worse as blackmail, but it worked.

Robin smiled. "Make sure you explain things properly, okay? And don't just dump him on your parents. Visit him, a lot!"

Superman agreed again then flew off his usual cave exit. Once his red cape had vanished, Robin took a breath and turned to face Batman. "Hi."

"What were you thinking?" Batman folded his arms, demanding answers. The boy wasn't swaying on his feet but he didn't look much better. Standing was well and good, but not if getting proper rest could heal you faster.

Robin took a breath before explaining himself. "I had to see them. To see how they were."

"I told you how they were," Batman insisted darkly. "The moment you woke up and asked, I told you they were alive and recovering. No negative permanent damage."

"You didn't tell me how bad it was." Robin tried to not sound like he was complaining, but Batman always kept how bad things were to a minimum around him. Never with anyone else.

"Don't you trust me to tell the truth?"

"You understate things, all the time."

"You weren't in the best condition. I didn't want to worry you." Batman remembered the way he found Robin that day. Each cut, every limp limb, each bruise, every drop of blood on the boy's body scared him. The boy was hardly breathing. Critical condition was the way Dr. Midnight first described him. Had he known how badly his teammates faired, Batman knew his emotional state would nearly match his physical.

"Well I worried anyway. Kaldur was our friend. There was no way the others weren't just as badly hurt." Robin screwed up a determined glare to Batman, in hopes for him to see where his loyalties lied.

Batman knew of course, but it didn't change his opinion. "None of the others ended up in a coma."

"So I'm just supposed to lay down and rest while the others deal with it all on their own? Everyone else is down in Atlantis! The guys were nowhere near over his betrayal! And no one's here to help them! I had to do something!"

"You've done plenty. You saved their lives." Batman had an inkling that Robin wasn't really talking about the team.

"But he got away! Kaldur's still out there! And because of me—" Robin's angry tears started to fight their way out from his mask. "That war in Atlantis is because of me! If I had stopped him… if I hadn't hesitated… if I wasn't…"

Robin couldn't hold it in any longer. He gripped his head, dropping to his knees as he shook, a slight sway creeping out of him. Tears of guilt flooded down his face. Batman quickly knelt in front of the boy, knowing it was partly the concussion speaking, but also knowing Robin's personality, what he truly thought while resting in his bed when he was alone. He wanted to hold the boy before him but knew he could injure him further in this position. So he did the next best thing.

He stayed there. He listened, and he told Robin the truth.

"It wasn't your fault."

"It was!" Robin was ready to scream. "I suggested Kaldur be leader! If it weren't for me, we'd never had gone to Cadmus! If I hadn't become Robin… if I wasn't Robin, no one else would have partnered up with you guys!"

There was a moment of silence. They could hear Robin's crying throughout the dark cave. It didn't help either of them.

"And if it wasn't for you," Batman started slowly, "the League would have kicked me out by now."

Robin looked at Batman in surprise. Batman tried to look like he didn't care about it. "Course I have wanted to walk out from time to time, but you've kept me there. And I doubt you had any influence over whether Wally or Roy would have shoved their way in. They're as stubborn as you. Conner isn't a bad kid, so don't beat yourself up on Cadmus. And, to tell the truth, back then if you hadn't chosen Kaldur as your leader, I'd be very disappointed."

"Disappointed?" Robin sounded a little confused at the word. He stared at Batman for an explanation.

"Out of all your teammates, only you or Kaldur had the experience to lead. You just needed more practice and patience. Wally's a team player, like his uncle, and a valuable resource, but not really a leader. Not yet. Needs much more time. The others are much too green. Until you were ready, Kaldur's cool head was necessary. Remember, Superman technically leads the League. I'm the head tactician. He's good with people. I'm not. You are."

Batman slid next to Robin, sitting still. He thought about what Robin said. He was the first child hero. The others soon followed for similar reasons to his, but never the same. Roy admired Green Arrow and tried everything to impress him before becoming Speedy. Wally knew the truth about his Uncle and imitated the accident purely to see if it worked. It did, so the kid took his uncle's suit and started playing Flash. Barry made the kid his sidekick to keep him out of trouble. Robin though, he had the same spark in his eye as Bruce did the night of his parents' murder. Even if he never met Batman, he knew Dick Grayson would be a person criminals feared. Robin would have been a hero no matter what.

He remembered what he learned about Kaldur, and how different he was from the other from the beginning. He and a friend (who cursed Kaldur's name now. Batman was starting to like Garth) had helped their king against one particularly difficult villain. They were both offered to be Aquaman's protégé, and Kaldur accepted. Aquaman wanted to be like Batman, Green Arrow and Flash to a small degree, not realizing how important he was already to the League on his own. Kaldur didn't fight to be a partner, nor even a hero. His purpose in fighting with them was never clear. Roy fought for the little guy. Wally because it was right. Robin for justice.

"I'm not that good." Batman kept his eye on Robin as he spoke again, guilt still screaming from his face. "I should have known. I should have been able to tell. There were so many signs, I should have at least suspected Kaldur would…"

Robin swayed dangerously, exhaustion and his injuries finally becoming too much for him to handle on his own. Carefully Batman put an arm around him, keeping the boy's injuries well in mind. He didn't resist, but rather crawled into the man's embrace, crying still. He needed to let it all out, his fears, his doubts, his worries, his pain. "It's all my fault. I should have… If I only… It's my fault."

Batman gently put his other arm around the boy, letting him cry. "Kaldur has powers. Amplified strength, water manipulation, electric touch. You two are on even footing when you fight without powers."

"I used to beat him," Robin corrected weakly.

"He was likely holding back. We still know nothing of his life beyond what Orin told us. I couldn't find anything more. You did your best."

"It wasn't enough," Batman barely heard his objection.

"You'll get better. You always do."

"I needed to be better then."

"There will be a next time."

"There better be."

Batman fell silent as he let Robin calm down in his arms. He had his own plans for the traitor. He hadn't told the league, mostly because he knew few of them would approve. Aquaman might, but he was sure the king had his own punishment ready for the boy. Kaldur would pay for his betrayal.

The boy's sobs continued only for a few minutes, exhaustion taking its toll on him. He needed to get back to his bed. Batman slowly released his hold. "You need rest. I'll help you change."

Robin weakly nodded as Batman helped him to his feet. They walked, the younger supported by the elder, toward where they kept their street clothes. There was a bench nearby and a few medical supplies, making it easier to change when they were injured. Robin sat down, groggy and swaying slightly, while Batman pulled off his cowl to find something easy to put on Dick. The boy worked on taking off his shirt after releasing his cape, only to wince and bite back a small cry of pain.

Bruce of course noticed and turned around quickly to assist the kid. The last time he helped him change into street clothes was when Robin broke two ribs and sprained his wrist taking down Scar-face and the Ventriloquist, over a year ago. The injuries now were much worse. The lacerations from Kaldur's water weapons cut deep and needed stitches. Internal wounds luckily didn't include his heart or wind pipes, but little else wasn't damaged. Dr. Midnight had to remove his appendix to make certain they didn't worsen. Three ribs broken and his collarbone cracked. If the ribs had punctured a lung, Robin would have died before Batman made it there.

Batman's blood boiled as he helped Dick put on a button up large blue shirt. Kaldur meant to kill Robin. If he meant to send his career in crime fighting alone, break the boy, he would have damaged the boy's spine, pelvis or femurs. End his life as an acrobat, as a fighter. No, he wanted Robin dead.

Dick knew it too. That's what made it so painful.

Bruce only supported Dick from falling as the boy changed his pants. He was swaying more than he should and Bruce could tell from the kid's sweat he probably had a fever. He needed to get back to bed and take his medicine before Bruce had to call Leslie in for another emergency. He pressed the intercom and spoke. "Alfred, can you—"

Bruce stopped mid sentence as Dick grabbed his cape, a bit of his usual stubbornness forcing its way to the surface. His eyes almost begged him to stay, but he said nothing.

"Yes Master Bruce?"

Bruce stared at Dick for a moment, knowing what that look meant. "Never mind. We'll be up in a minute. Have Dick's medicine ready."

"Of course!"

Bruce let go of the intercom and sighed a little. Dick's expression lightened, his grip loosening a little. Bruce took off his cape and let the kid hold onto it as he grabbed a robe for himself. Batman wasn't done for the night yet. Once situated, Bruce placed a gentle hand on Dick's shoulder. "Bed, now."

Dick nodded, letting go of the cape and grabbing Bruce's arm for support. Slowly they made their way up the stairs to the manor and even more slowly made there way to Dick's room. Dick stumbled a few times and each time Bruce gave him the support he needed. The kid didn't want coddling, but it was hard for Bruce to not just pick the kid up this time. It hurt to see him in this condition.

When they made it to the room, Dick blearily sat on the edge of his bed. Alfred had the medicine on hand and the boy looked at the pills in his hand for a while. Bruce was almost ready to go when Dick finally spoke again.

"What about the team?"

Bruce and Alfred stared at the boy. He already knew how his team was, and how much he needed to think about his own recovery at that moment. Dick looked up determined at Bruce. "What's going to happen to the team?"

'_Ah._' Bruce didn't want to think about the team at the moment. He had other worries, and Dick was top of the list. Gotham and Kaldur were next, then Atlantis and every other crisis the League was facing. The other kids fit somewhere in between League business and Kaldur. "Suspended until further notice. Everyone needs to recover."

"And after that?" Dick's look was one he'd seen before. He wanted a certain outcome, and hoped it'd somehow turn out that way.

Bruce tired not to glare too hard. "We'll figure it out after everyone's recovered."

"Figure it out soon." Bruce raised an eyebrow at the order. "The others will be back to normal before I am, and Kaldur's still out there. We didn't wait for the League with Red Tornado.

"Despite everything, we're still a team. We don't break that easily."

Bruce watched as Dick took his pills, gulping down his water, then slowly crawled into bed. Alfred tucked the boy in, minding every injury, as Bruce thought about what Dick said.

He was right. The League had to think of something with the kids. They were a team, friends, closer than the League in many ways. At least they were until Kaldur's betrayal. Robin snuck out to see them. It was likely he made the team stronger, brought them back together, while he was with them. He knew better than anyone how they would stick together. And knowing how just three boys running off after hearing about trouble started this fiasco, Bruce knew there was little he could do to stop them.

All he could hope for was making a safer scenario for the group to operate.

As he and Alfred left Dick's room to let him rest, Bruce thought of the rest of the team. Robin was benched until he was certain the physical and psychological trauma done to him was repaired or dealt with. Dr. Midnight said Wally's injuries would be fully healed in eighteen days, but there was a possibility his new speed abilities came with down sides. Conner's arm would heal twice as fast as a human's. Artemis would be capable of drawing a bow before the month ended. J'onn said M'gann's injuries would heal quickly if she focused, her mind was only distracted by the betrayal. There was no doubt in his mind they'd be active as soon as they were ready.

And they'd want to get even.

"Master Bruce," Alfred started, "may I interest you in supper before heading back out onto Gotham streets?"

"Hm?" Bruce barely heard him over his many thoughts and worries. He had much to think about. At least five teenagers near future hung in the balance, and who knew what Kaldur was planning next. What he should do with them, what would be best for them, and how to make certain this never happened again, all of this plagued his mind. "Oh, yes Alfred. Of course."

Alfred placed a gentle hand on Bruce's shoulder, giving him a small encouraging smile. "Young Master Richard will be fine. I doubt he'll leave again until matters here are settled."

"I know Alfred. I know." Bruce rubbed his head. "There's just… so much to think on."

Alfred nodded. "Indeed there is. But everything will look better in time. You'll see. Time cures all ills."

Bruce gave a small grunt in acknowledgement, but he knew better. Time healed bodies, not hearts nor minds. The League never faced such a harsh betrayal, they were not near as close knit. These kids would need more than just time. They needed something far more.

He just had to figure out what.

* * *

><p>AN: and that's it for Daddybats and Robin until the final installment. Next is Kents.

Truth be told, I was planning on having the two have a fight, but considering how much i already put Rob through I thought it'd be a good idea to just let bats be dad. I'm not sure what he'll do to Kaldur if he ever meets him, and frankly Kaldur's scared of meeting Batman next time (real reason he ran away to tell the truth. Once he was sure Robin would likely die, he ran to get as far from Daddybats as possible).

Oh, before people ask, Dr. Midnight is one of the few doctors I know of in the DC universe. he's with the JSA but since capt. marvel is also JSA and with the league here, I thought Midnight would be the League's field doctor. Leslie is the batfam's official doctor and helps Alfred a lot taking care of the dynamic duo when they get badly hurt.


	3. Kent

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Superman, would i be here writing fanfics? nope, but I don't want Supes anyway. DC can have him. I'll take batman though. =D

Wow, I didn't expect people to want to see Ma and Pa Kent so badly. Yes they are here. Maybe I made them a little too perfect, but Conner needs some love.

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><p><strong>Kent<strong>

Conner paced nervously, clutching his small bag. Superman said he was taking him home. Home to a 'Ma and Pa'. It was somewhere in Kansas. They liked Superman, so it was likely they'd like him, right? Oh he hoped they liked him.

"Nervous?" Conner looked over to M'gann. She had a smile on her face, but it was a tad forced. Really it was more sad than happy.

Conner nodded, gaining a little of her sadness as he looked back at her. He was excited and scared at the same time. He wanted so much to have a family, maybe even a slightly normal life. For a long time he wanted to be Superman. Now he wanted a bit of normal too, an opportunity to belong somewhere without the super-hero community looking at him.

But this also meant he couldn't see M'gann whenever he wanted to anymore. He couldn't stay up late holding her hand. It'd be a long time until he'd eat her cookies again. He knew he'd miss her voice. He'd miss her. She already missed him.

But she wasn't going to let that ruin his best chance at a family. She continued to smile. "Don't be. Just be yourself and you'll do fine."

"But what if they don't like me?" He voiced his doubts quickly, a pinch of fear entering his face. "What if they hate the fact I'm a clone? What if they tell me to leave? What if they're disappointed because I can't fly?"

"You'll do fine." M'gann took his hands smoothly, hoping to give him some comfort. "They'll love you. If these people, this Ma and Pa, are the ones who raised Superman, I'm certain they'll do their best to help you. Maybe they'll even close the gap between the two of you."

"You think?" Hope welled in his chest. Was it possible they'd like him? He never even met these people and he already wanted to make them proud.

"I know it." M'gann leaned into him, giving him a tight hug. Awkwardly he managed to return it without dropping his bag. They held each other, already missing each other. "You'll be fine."

"M'gann…" Conner felt there weren't enough words to say to tell her how he felt. He met her eyes and did what only felt natural.

_Recognized, Superman 01_

"Ah…" The two teens broke away from their kiss and stared at the man of steel who just arrived. The older man had turned a little red and looked away, rubbing his head awkwardly. "Bad timing. Batman always said I was too flashy. Sorry."

The couple fought to hide their blushing as they released each other. Superman continued to fluster. "If it's really a bad time, I could just come back. No rush really. The war below's going to still be there and all that."

"No, no…" M'gann straightened and put on a brave smile. "It's alright. Can't keep you waiting. Besides," she looked over to Conner who was nervous again, "this guy's way too eager to stay still."

Conner gave her a weak smile, then looked to Superman. "Um… one question… before we go."

He looked behind him and M'gann to Wolf and Sphere/Super Cycle. Superman looked over to them too, unable to figure why they were there. "Um… can I keep them?"

The kryptonian's eyes went wide. He looked over to the metallic being, wondering what to do with it, then to Wolf. He pointed to Wolf. "What does he eat?"

"Umm… pretty much whatever we give him. Wally gave him kibble once and he liked it."

"Not cows and chickens though right? Not living ones?" Worry and a little fear played on the man's face. M'gann and Conner looked at each other, shrugging.

"Don't think so. He's pretty smart too. If we tell him not to do something, he listens."

"Uh huh…" Superman still looked doubtful. "How does he do with other dogs?"

"Are you worried about Krypto?" Conner had heard about the famous alien dog. Would he meet him?

"Yeah, and a few other things." Superman really didn't seem sure about Conner's pets.

Conner looked over to Wolf, not sure how he'd respond. That's when the giant dog wandered over to Superman and started sniffing him. Superman stayed perfectly still, not out of fear but because of experience. After circling Superman about three times, Wolf gently shoved his head into the man's hand, demanding to be petted. Everyone started to relax when Superman started scratching the dog's ears.

"Guess he's okay," Superman started. "But he's going to have to be careful. There's a lot of animals where we're headed, and anything out of the norm the neighbors will notice. I don't think that… Sphere? … I don't think it can come."

Conner pouted and the orb behind him gave a small whining noise. "Why not?"

"Well it's an obvious piece of alien technology," Superman pointed out. "And really, hiding the space ship in the barn was hard enough. Keeping it under wraps would be impossible out there."

"But we can't just leave Sphere alone!" Conner's voice started to turn into a whine. He promised those New Geneses kids he'd take care of Sphere. He didn't want to leave her. He didn't really want to leave M'gann either.

"We won't." He looked over to M'gann. "Until your Uncle makes it back, you're staying here right?"

The girl nodded, making Conner gape at her. She was going to be alone in the cave? How could he leave her alone like this?

Superman continued, not noticing Conner's feelings. "He said he'd be here tomorrow. I'm certain we'll find somewhere to take Sphere by then, and the Zeta tubes are open where we're headed. You'll be able to see it whenever you like."

Sphere gave a metallic whine, nudging Conner. Conner gave her a pat. He didn't really want to leave her behind but he couldn't miss this opportunity either. Slowly, he gained the courage to say what he had to. "I'll be back soon. I swear it."

Sphere gave another low whine but one of understanding. It was a smart piece of alien tech after all. Conner looked back to M'gann, giving her a sad smile. "I guess, I'll see you when everything's settled."

M'gann gulped back her tears and gave him a warm smile. "Guess so. Make sure that arm of yours heals properly okay?"

"I will." Quickly he sent her a mental message. '_I'll visit you at your uncles, and maybe you can visit me, once I know where I'm going._'

'_Count on it._' Their smiles reached their eyes as they gave each other another quick hug. This wasn't the end for them. Just another beginning.

Conner looked back to Superman, a more confident smile on his face. "Okay, I'm ready."

Superman nodded, giving him a slightly nervous smile. This was going to be one interesting day.

* * *

><p>Conner stared in awe at the open fields before him. Winter snows were starting to melt on the ground, but it was hard not to gape at the vast amount of land around him. In the distance he saw houses and water towers, but they were quite a ways off. An old pick-up truck stood next to the outhouse he had exited, the Zeta-beam point for this part of the world. Wolf had made it out moments after him and also stared at the vast amount of land before them. Already Conner knew the two of them would love running around this place.<p>

Superman hadn't exited the outhouse yet but was definitely there. Idly he wondered if the man of steel had a small bladder, only to see the door open a moment later. Out stepped the kryptonian's secret identity, a man in farm clothes, messy hair and glasses. Conner then realized what Superman taking him in meant.

He'd have to know the man's secret identity.

The man smiled awkwardly, one hand rubbing his head as he offered the other to Conner to shake. "Hi Conner, I'm Clark Kent."

"Hi…" Conner took the hand, happily bewildered he could meet Superman's every day self at last. Then it struck him. "Wait, Kent?"

Clark took a deep breath. "Yeah. J'onn suggested that for you on purpose. Help me get this truck ready okay? I'll explain a few things as we go."

Conner nodded enthusiastically and took the snow shovel to help dig out their mode of transportation. Clark began to talk as they worked.. "Most of the League doesn't know who I am, same with Batman and quite a few others. Others like J'onn, Diana, Orin and a couple of the Green Lanterns aren't that worried about their identities because this is all they do. Only the original seven know each other's identities completely. Oh and probably Robin. We've, er, all kind of hung out with the kid ever since Batman took him in."

"So he's really not his dad?" Conner tossed as much of the snow out of the way as he could, but kept getting splatters of it on him from Wolf's digging around them.

"Physically. But Ma and Pa aren't my biological parents either. They died on Krypton, with everyone else. Ma and Pa found me and my escape pod when I was a baby not far from here." He made a vague gesture toward a distant road. "Scared them near to death, but they also said I was a blessing from heaven. They couldn't have kids of their own and adoption for them would be near impossible. They gladly took me in and raised me."

The truck was nearly free, and thanks to Wolf there was an easier exit before it. Clark felt it was time to warm the beater up. Normally he'd just fly home, but Conner couldn't fly. At least not yet.

As he turned on the car, he thought of what he had to say next. This wasn't easy for him. "So, um, I'm in my thirties. They were older than that when they found me, so Ma and Pa aren't spring chickens. You have to be very careful with them, especially with your powers. They're great people, really kind and understanding, and they'll teach you tons, but please be careful. I nearly broke Pa's arm back in high school when I jokingly punched him."

"Really?" Conner leaned around the truck amazed, trying to see Clark's expression. The man looked honestly troubled.

"Really. And Nelly wasn't too happy with me after I threw her one day. And then there was this one guy's car my junior year…" Clark gave a sheepish laugh, making Conner chuckle. Now he didn't feel so bad about his temper at school. Superman made mistakes like this as a kid. "Let's just say, Ma and Pa have a lot of interesting stories to tell."

Conner tried not to laugh too loud. "Can't wait to hear them."

"I'm sure you will." Clark climbed into the truck bed and shoveled off the snow building there. The truck would be ready in another minute. "But here's the other thing. You can't tell them to the League or your friends. I know Robin would only laugh himself silly, and he's safe, but it's a bit embarrassing and he will bring it up whenever I'm around and he'll definitely tell Batman. The last thing I need is him to have more on me than he already has."

Conner could see it happen too, and guessed it happened before. Just how close were Superman and the dynamic duo anyway?

"But you can't tell anyone else. Not the stories, not about Ma and Pa, and definitely not about me." Clark gave Conner an intense stare, making sure he understood this.

"Why? Don't you trust us?" Conner didn't want to lie to his friends and he really didn't want to go back on his promise to have M'gann come over.

"It's not a matter of trust but a matter of safety." The truck bed was nearly cleared, so Clark jumped out of it and put the shovel back against the outhouse. "The wrong word to the wrong people can devastate a life. You want to know why Batman's so protective about his ID? He's a high profile person without even trying. It's how he has all his toys and gizmos. If he or Robin let it slip who they were, they'd be destroyed within a few days.

"Clark Kent isn't a famous or popular person, but Superman is. If Luthor or someone else found out who I was, who knows what'd happen to Ma and Pa." Clark looked over to Conner, everything set for them to go at long last. "I don't want them hurt. The less people know the truth, the better. One slip up and next thing you know, Metallo's blowing up Smallville."

"Smallville?"

Clark smiled. "Smallville, Kansas. It's about ten miles that way. Ready to see the farm?"

* * *

><p>The drive over wasn't too long thankfully. Clark wasn't sure what else where was to say. He rambled for quite a while about Smallville, everything from the shops to the events to the school. Conner soaked it all in, gaining a new understanding about the man of steel. He saw before him a person who would have been content just being a farm boy, but instead chose to become something great, a superman, because of his powers. The boy was beginning to think the recent longing for a somewhat normal life came from this man after all.<p>

Maybe in order to be like Superman, he first had to understand what it was like to be Clark. Despite everything that had, or rather hadn't, happened between them, Conner still longed to be like… this man. He wasn't sure what to call him yet. Everyone suggested he was his father since Conner was his clone, but that unnerved the older man. Was there any way to make a connection that didn't scare them?

Soon they were pulling in front of the porch where an elderly woman was waiting for them, bundled up tightly in a worn quilt. Wolf bounded off of the truck before either of them managed to get out of the cab. Clark voiced Conner's nervous thoughts. "Here we go."

Ma Kent got to her feet looking at the two boys for a moment before jerking her head around to the door. "Jonathan! They're here!"

She didn't wait for her husband to exit the house before dashing off the porch to meet them. Clark gave a warm smile and chuckle at her as she ran up and wrapped her arms around him. "Ma! It's great to see you too."

"Oh you big lug! You need to drop by more often." She released him to get a good look at him. "See Metropolis is still treating you well. Any progress with that Lois girl?"

"A little," Clark answered, a little shyly. "Ma, I'd like you to meet someone."

"Yes I can see that." She looked intently at Wolf, unsure what to make of him. "It doesn't eat pigs does it? I really want a prize sow for the next fair."

Both kryptonians blinked at her comment. "Ah, don't think so. But Ma, I meant—"

The lady laughed playfully, easing out of her son's hug. "I know what you meant silly, but I don't recall you saying anything about another dog. Does this one fly too? Krypto's scared poor Roger away from our rooftop far too often for my tastes."

"Ah, no," Conner started, gaining both of their attention at last. "Wolf is just stronger, faster and bigger than others. He's a good boy, really. Smart too."

'_Please let me keep him,_' was the only thought on his face, his nerves starting to get the better of him. Mrs. Kent looked up and down Conner silently, a kind smile growing on her lips. He hoped it was a good sign.

"So this is the boy your friend told me about."

"What?" both boys said in unison.

"Oh you know, the big dark one from Gotham." A playful smile grew even larger on her face as her husband joined them.

"Your good friend there's been calling us quite often, trying to get us to talk to you about him. You really should have brought him straight here Clark." Jonathan Kent huddled in his coat, looking up and down Conner. "Goodness, he looks almost like you did at that age. You could be brothers. Aren't you cold in that jacket?"

"Um…" Conner looked down and rubbed his head in slight embarrassment.

"Oh dear." Ma quickly came to the boy and opened her quilt to him, wrapping it around his shoulders. "What are we doing staying outside in the cold? You two must be freezing. Inside, all of us."

"Agreed." Pa stated, taking Conner's bag from him. He smiled warmly to Conner and already he could feel the fear of being hated leaving him. "It's nice to finally meet you Conner."

"It's nice to meet you too Mr. Kent. Mrs. Kent."

Both of them smiled lovingly. "Call us Ma and Pa. We always wanted another son."

Conner's smile grew, filling his eyes and his soul as the four of them made their way into their warm home together.

* * *

><p>AN: I read something, I think it was Blackest Night, where Con and Clark refereed to each other as brothers. I think this is the best solution really. Don't the Kents pretty much adopt every good Kryptonian on the planet minus Chris? (Clark needs a kid to raise after all) Don't really follow the Supers really. The Bats were always more interesting.

Anywho, I read a fan comic where Ma calls Clark after Bruce talked to her about Conner and he gets an earful. If bats is really doing everything in his power to fix the gap between them, then he could easily use Clark's parents against him. Liked the concept so I used it. hee hee hee.

Next up is Artemis


	4. Moving On

**Disclaimer: **Do you think if I owned Young Justice I'd be posting these stories here? No way! I'd be writing the show! Sadly, only DC can do that. They own everything

Okay, personally, I really like Artemis. her sass and mysterious past really intrigue me. her, Robin and KF are my faves, and Conner and Roy after them. M'gann and Kaldur (dude! I made him a bad guy!) aren't that interesting to me. And these are the kids in the cast. I'm not talking everyone else yet. Anywho, I thought it best to get her problem out of the way next. If she really wants to escape her dad entirely, she and her mom are going to have to move on.

* * *

><p><strong>Moving On<strong>

Artemis looked around their tiny apartment. There were so many memories in that place. It had been her home for over ten years. She hardly remembered another place she really could call home.

In her bedroom was her sister's old bed and poster. She recalled again the day she felt. Artemis felt so alone back then. Her mom was gone, her dad… well he was just plain horrible, and then her sister just left. She remembered hugging her stuffed animal, praying that somehow she'd find some way to keep this family together.

Now all she prayed for was to keep half of it away from her.

Truthfully, she once hoped she'd find Jade again, and find out she was something amazing. Maybe a company CEO, a fashion designer, maybe even working for Interpol. Finding out she had become a better killer than their father was heartbreaking.

Slowly Artemis took down the Alice in Wonderland poster, wrapping it up for storage. She might not want anything else to do with her sister, but there were good times too. Alice was one of their favorite shows. She remembered pretending to be Alice while Jade would be everything else. Their mom would come in late at night to get them to calm down and sleep. They'd fake that they were, then giggle late into the night about the show.

'_It's really like a dream, all those happy times._' They were getting far and in between as they grew older and their dad wanted them to become assassins even more than before. Considering Jade became an assassin on her own, Artemis could only conclude she ran away because she wanted to do it outside her dad's shadow.

Besides, their dad was kind of lame. Really, a sports theme? Cheshire actually sounded cool and deadly. Being able to disappear whenever she wanted to was pretty cool too. Sportsmaster sounded like a coaching reject.

Artemis allowed herself a small laugh before setting the poster aside. Robin had sent her a new address earlier that day for her and her mom to move to by the end of the week. It was closer to school and work, but still within their price range. A low income Wayne building, one of those equipped to take earthquakes and really good for wheelchairs. She checked it out a few hours ago. It was perfect.

Only one thing left to do.

Convince her mom.

Slowly, she paced her room thinking. She meant to bring it up the previous day, but she wasn't sure how. She loved her mom and her mom didn't want things to change any more than they had already. Her mom's been through a lot. She had her own criminal record but that was behind her now. She was trying to make everything right for Artemis and her. Signing the divorce papers was one of her hardest moments in her life. Leaving Sportsmaster wasn't easy for anyone.

And now they had to solidify the deal. Once they were out of this place, her dad couldn't even come close to her. This new place even had a state of the art security system. Wayne seemed to be paranoid over everything, not just his ward or his life. Artemis would have a harder time sneaking in and out than before, but it'd be worth it to keep the assassins away.

It'd also be handy if Kaldur came by.

She remembered overhearing the Waynes talking once, saying it was a good thing Batman kept tabs on them. More than likely, Batman was wired into their security systems too. If Kaldur came anywhere near this apartment, Batman would be notified and Artemis wouldn't have to fight him alone. Heck, Batman would probably come flying in if anyone attacked the building. Her dad didn't stand a chance if he came by there.

She took another breath before exiting her room. She had to talk to her mom. Within a few minutes, Artemis found her working on making dinner. Another Vietnamese meal she couldn't name properly. The news was on and Artemis tried her best to ignore it. She wasn't in any condition to defend Gotham tonight.

"Mom," she started nervously, "I think we need to move."

Her mom looked up at her in surprise, hands still poised in the air to work on the meal. "What?"

Artemis turned off the TV and sat on the back of the couch. "It's just, this place isn't safe anymore," she tried to explain. "We've both made some pretty bad enemies over the years and…"

"Artemis." Her mom's firm voice made the archer freeze obediently. "We've been over this. No place is safer than this. Your father ensured—"

"Dad's one of the reasons we have to move." Artemis had to convince her. "He's not happy with me, and he's still not happy with you."

"He swore on his parents' graves he wouldn't harm us," her mom insisted.

"But what about his friends? What about his allies?" The archer knew ways around promises. Her dad wasn't above using them. "He could send them after us."

"Then what about Jade?" Artemis closed her eyes to breathe. Jade was the real reason they never moved out. A small, vain hope she would someday come back to them and the three of them could be a family again. "How will she find us if we leave?"

Artemis looked at the ground, feeling wretched. She hadn't told her mom about Cheshire yet. Slowly she raised her head to look back to her mom. She was already going back to dinner, matter settled.

"Jade's with the League of Shadows."

Her mom's eyes flew open wide in horror, dropping what she held in her hands. Artemis felt she had to tell the whole story.

"I… I met her again as… as Cheshire… it was my first mission with the team. I don't think she's with dad, but she sure isn't coming back here any time soon. She looks well, but she's…"

Silence stood before the two. Artemis let her head drop, knowing the information was breaking her mother's heart. That was why she never wanted to tell her. They had already suffered so much, she really didn't want them to suffer anymore.

Artemis decided to change the subject quickly. "Our leader betrayed us Mom. He was one of the bad guys the whole time. That's how I… Anyway, it's likely he's going to come after me, after us. He might try to turn me, make me like—"

"Don't you dare!" Artemis jerked her head up at her mother's shout. The woman before her was shaking in her wheelchair, terror, anger and sorrow fighting to control her face. "Don't you dare become like your father!"

"I won't. I swear I won't." She took a letter out of her pocket and handed it over to her mom. "It's just a possibility, and I want to avoid meeting him again until I'm ready. Robin sent me this earlier. It's an address and leasing information for a really great apartment. Location's perfect, wheelchair access, state of the art security, and just inside our price range. He'll even help with the down payment. I checked it out."

Her mom took the paper and read it, her head already jumbled by the information her daughter dumped on her. Artemis felt it was time to let her think about it. "We have until the end of the week before the place is back on the market. Just think about it okay?"

She gave her mom a quick hug, not sure if anything had sunk through. All she could do now was wait. She gave her mom a small smile then went back to her bedroom to think and wait to be called to dinner.

There really wasn't much left to think about to tell the truth, and if she thought about certain things she was bound to lose her cool. Instead, she laid on her bed and read the first book she could grab. Ironically, it was Robin Hood, one of her favorites until the end.

It was nearly an hour later when her mom knocked on her door to come to dinner. Obediently she got off her bed and joined her somber mom. It was halfway through the meal when her mother spoke again.

"Tomorrow, after school, drop by the market for some extra boxes. I'll have to call around for some help getting everything there."

Artemis' eyes grew wide in relieved shock. Slowly a smile crept onto her face as she nodded. Finally, it looked like they were moving on.

* * *

><p>AN: Friad I don't know much about artemis' mom to make a judgement call on her, But I think the reason why the apartment in the flashback is the same one despite her parents being separated both times, is because her mom won it in the divorce and she's waiting for Jade/Cheshire to return., Artemis probably wouldn't tell her mom the truth until she tells her friends it, mostly because it's harder to tell the people you love painful things than people you like who don't know the other person very well. That's my theory.

Next is M'gann, and her dealing with things isn't so happy.


	5. It's Not Easy Being Green

**Disclaimer:** I own little. Unfortunately Young Justice is one of the many things I don't own and someone else does. DC comics in this case. And I don't own the muppets either, just love Kermit and Jim Hensen to death.

Side note, mostly for the future, someone mentioned wanting to see Roy. Um, I don't have any idea what to do for a Roy story, so unless people give me some ideas, I'm pretty much just sticking with the standard team. I can't say I understand Roy very well, so I'm not really going to. The only thing I really know about him is his rocky relationship with GA. Ideas anyone?

This one was kinda rushed so please don't beat me over the head about the ending. Rushed because I don't really care much for M'gann.

* * *

><p><strong>Not Easy Being Green<strong>

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Everyone was supposed to be happy, laughing in the kitchen and talking about the funny things that happened at school that week or with their mentors the other day. They were supposed to always be together.

Not apart like this.

Not alone.

M'gann tried to busy herself by cooking, but who for? She didn't have to eat as much as humans and really there was more than enough for her to eat prepared already. The only ones there were her and Sphere. And both of them were just lonely.

The alien girl ended up spending her last hours in the cave cleaning everything she could with the TV blaring. She tried to ignore her wounds but they still stung. She couldn't understand why they were still there. As a martian, she had stronger healing abilities than humans, so she should have been the first to recover. Instead she would probably be the last. Was it really because she felt broken inside?

She had put up a strong face for her friends, for Conner. He needed someone who'd always support him, no matter what. They needed someone with a positive attitude. But everyone had left her alone again. It hurt. It hurt like crazy.

'_Hello Megan_,' she tried to cheer herself up. '_All you've got to do is turn that frown upside down and put a song into your heart!_' It was something she learned from an old TV show, or was it several different TV shows. Either way, it was something she hoped would work. So she tried to sing as she cleaned.

She sang as she cleaned the kitchen, making it shine brighter than noon day. She sang as she tidied up the living room, vacuuming every nook and cranny. She sang as she straightened the gym, taking away all the dust and sweat that had accumulated. She sang when she finished up the training hall, entrance way and library. She sang her throat sore, but her spirits didn't lift very much. All it did was remind her no one was listening.

M'gann sighed heavily as she changed her clothes to earth pajamas and started heading to the bed she'd no longer sleep in. Sphere followed her to the room but couldn't make it through the doorway. It had followed her all that day and she tried to give it affection like Conner did, but knew it only made them miss him more. He might end up too busy on the Kent farm to see her or even invite her over.

The martian flushed a little, remembering her devious action. When Superman had arrived, she kept her mind open to hear all his thoughts. She did it just in case Conner really wouldn't be able to see her again. From this, she was able to hear Superman think about Ma and Pa on the Kent farm in Smallville. She even picked out the Zeta beam code to get there quickly. He didn't want to tell M'gann anything, nor reveal his secret identity, mostly out of habit. Superman's real self and Conner's innocent side (when he wasn't being angry at the world like any disgruntled, ignored teenager), were a lot alike. Not the exact same, but similar.

Still, now she knew the Man of Steel's secret, and knew she could use it any way she wanted to. But all she wanted was to be able to see Conner again. Just like Sphere did.

M'gann looked around her room and all the memories inside it. She saw posters from old movies, pictures of her friends at school, and photos of her team just having fun. She doubted they were going to have days like that any time soon. There was a picture of her cheer team at their first game on her dresser, and looking at it, M'gann knew she was going to miss her normal earth friends very much. She had built a life in Happy Harbor. Would they ever have that kind of life again?

After a few minutes more, M'gann tugged some blankets off her bed and grabbed her favorite pillow. Then she looked at Sphere. "Come on. We're gonna watch Brady Bunch until we pass out.

Quickly she and the ball left the bedrooms to the living room where the TV was still playing. Quickly she bounded onto the couch, wrapped herself up in her blankets and changed it to the all night Brady Bunch marathon she heard about. Sphere joined her there and the two of them watched Marsha make a fool of herself while looking beautiful still.

* * *

><p>"M'gann."<p>

"Hm?" The alien girl didn't want to open her eyes. She was dreaming wonderful dreams and didn't want to be woken up.

In her dream, she was a princess, loved by everyone who saw her. But a witch had kept her up in a tower, then took her voice so she'd have fins instead of legs. Then seven warriors found her and safely took her to their cottage deep in the woods: a diminutive Batman, Superman, Red Tornado, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Aquaman, and Flash were now her protectors. But then someone in a checker-print mask made her eat an apple, turning her to stone. The seven warriors sore they'd find a way to save her, the voiceless mermaid princess. They even left four of their students with her to make certain nothing bad was going to happen to her. For some reason, Robin was always climbing on her and making weird 'holy' jokes, laughing at the other three. Wally would often be running in between the two archers who were more interested in fighting each other than looking out for danger. She was the first to see of any of them the charming Conner on a white stallion coming towards them.

In the dream, Wally and Robin were daring and betting Conner into kissing M'gann's stone form.

"Bet nothing happens."

"Bet she turns into a goose.

"I bet she breaks into a million pieces."

"Bet cha she turns into a man."

"Betcha he kisses her nose instead."

"I bet he'll turn into a girl."

"Okay, that I have to see."

Both troublemakers stopped fighting and watched Conner in anticipation. "Come on, try it! Kiss her!"

Conner was coming in for a kiss when Uncle J'onn appeared in her dreams, eyeing the scene inquisitively. "Is this how you see the world?"

Without another thought M'gann woke from her comical and perfect world, looking directly into the eyes of J'onn J'ones. He looked amused, one eyebrow higher than the other. M'gann blushed heavily, willing herself awake to stop him from asking questions about her dream.

"Nothing to be ashamed about," J'onn started telling her. "Dreams are meant to be confusing and whimsical."

She was still turning red, quite a feet when your skin tone was green. "Uncle J'onn! I thought you weren't going to be here until later."

She looked around the room and read several clocks at the same time. J'onn tried not to smile at her surprise. It was nearly noon.

"I decided it was more important to secure you a home than for me to be in Atlantis," he explained. "Once you're settled in, I'll return to see what I can do. Orin and I make a fairly good team when we work together, but right now his mind is divided."

"How so?" M'gann rubbed what little sleep was left in her eyes, then started folding her blankets. She hardly had anything ready to leave. How long did could her uncle stay with her?

"He… had much to think about, and many to care for," J'onn decided to say. It was hard not to elaborate but he knew M'gann would know what he meant. Kaldur's betrayal held many consequences. The League was doing everything they could, but it was likely things would never be the same in Atlantis again. "It's hard to think of your people, your country, over yourself and those closest to you."

M'gann cocked her head to the side, trying to understand it better. If she was going to think of it the same way her people on Mars was, then she didn't quite understand it. She was a white martian who gave up her people's ways and decided to act and look like a green so people could accept her, even like her. Her immediate family were those she couldn't, and really wouldn't, see again any time soon. Her country had it's problems, but she was on Earth now. None of them mattered. She ran away from it all so she could try to have a more normal life, or at least one she could be proud of.

Maybe even one J'onn could be proud of.

For a moment, M'gann remembered the discussion she and her friends had the previous day. She told them the truth. They told everyone nearly everything about each other. It was partly to feel closer to each other, but mostly it was so their deep dark secrets didn't bite them when they weren't looking.

She looked into J'onn's eyes for a moment, contemplating telling him the truth. She wanted to be his niece, his family, for real. She wanted to be honest, to tell him everything. Was it right to tell him the truth? Should she? Could she tell him she was a white and not a green?

J'onn was beginning to see the troubled look on her face and the wounds on her body not healing, worrying him more than normal. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Come. We have much to do before the day is done. Have you packed at all?" She shook her head, her eyes lowering. He gave her a nod.

"Alright then, we'll just have to take care of that then." He took a look at Sphere, waiting in a corner. J'onn gave a kind smile. "We haven't forgotten about you little one. The Hall of Justice has room enough for you and the security features there should keep you safe. I have no doubt you will be reunited with your friends again."

The sphere gave an excited whirl, just as M'gann stood up. She put a smile on her face, hoping it eased her 'Uncle's' mind. '_I can't tell him,_' she thought for a moment. There was still much for her to do before she could be 100% honest. '_Not yet. I'm not ready yet._'

* * *

><p>AN: Alright, I had a little too much fun with her dream, and it's meant to be pointless. Still, gotta love chibi Robin and KF making wacky ideas for Conner kissing a stone mermaid M'gann.

Again, I feel this one's a bit rushed towards the end. Half asleep here. Been too busy with other things in RL. And if you want anything on Roy, I need a lot of ideas. Otherwise, sorry, he's only gonna pop up again at the fainaly.

Next is Wally


	6. Fast Talking

**Disclaimer:** *looks through paperwork* no, no, no, no, no, no, no... sorry, don't have any legal documents saying I own young justice or anything else DC related. I guess they're still just comic book/tv characters. *sigh*

So since there's no ideas coming on Roy, we're not going to have any chapters on him. But people keep asking for more Robin. Didn't I say he wasn't going to make another appearance until the final chapter? Wow, you must really like Robin when I write him. Course, Dick's just made of awesome in general.

now, heeeeereeesss Wally!

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><p><strong>Fast Talking<strong>

"So the story's rock climbing?" Wally lounged in his bed, his knee propped up and his phone to his year. Truth be told, his knee felt completely fine, but if his family saw him walking around, or heaven forbid running, they'd all probably ground him for a week.

"Yep." Robin was on the other end, and he was bored out of his skull. Wally heard him tapping away at some computer and flipping pages. The kid could really multitask, or had a very short attention span. "Both of us went rock climbing, I fell and you twisted your knee trying to get me to the medics. Your uncle already told your school that and Bat's did the same with mine."

"What about the others?" Wally tucked a hand under his head, partially plugging one ear. He didn't want to hear what was going on outside his room. "I mean, doesn't Artemis go to your school?"

"Um, according to what I can tell," Robin typed away at his computer, digging up the info, "Artemis was caught in a street fight but managed to get out of it and ran; pretty believable in Gotham. She's still going to classes. Both M'gann and Conner were taken out of their schools due to family issues, and now they're in different states. Their excuse I think is a motorcycle accident. Yeah, that's it. They were joy riding and fell off. Megan skidded across the road and Conner just broke his arm in the fall. His bike's been totaled to prove it."

"Good thing he's got the Super Cycle."

"Actually, that's at the Hall of Justice now." Robin was still typing away, reading things off his computer. Wally could only guess the kid had a laptop connected to the JL's mainframe, probably something Batman would be mad about later. "Apparently Superman thought it couldn't hide itself in Kansas. Heh, probably right. Farms and all that."

"So Superman's from Kansas?" It was amazing what Robin slipped out in casual conversation. Wally knew more secret facts about the league from him instead of from his uncle, who was also a blabbermouth.

"Grew up there. Not saying where in Kansas, but you get the idea. His parents are really good people. When things settle down, and Supes isn't scared about his ID with everyone, you should meet them."

"You've met them?" Wally wanted to jerk straight up to get the details out of Robin, but stopped as the background noise became louder. He was certain something was breaking.

"Yep! Cl—Superman took me there once as a birthday present. It was kinda like having grandparents for a day. His mom makes some excellent cookies, and his dad's a jack-of-all-trades. Not a gentleman like Alfie, but he's really cool anyway. You can see a lot of Superman in them, really. They raised him well."

"Whoa… wait, who's 'Alfie'?"

Wally could hear Robin wince, berating himself. "Ah… Alfie… well… that's the nickname I gave someone here. He's… oh man is this complicated…"

The speedster pouted his distaste. A secret ID thing. Robin only got vague when it came to getting close to revealing who he and Batman were. "Oh gimme a break… Can't even tell me who this 'Alfie' is?"

"I don't know if you'll ever meet him."

Wally gave out a long sigh, thinking quickly. Who could Alfie be? It'd have to be someone close to Robin and Batman. Wait, last week when Superman took Robin away, when he was somewhat panicked, he said 'You're lucky Alfred called me and not him'. And one time before, when he and Artemis went off to save that Grayson kid, some British guy answered his call to Batman. An older British guy. It was a terrific trio, not a dynamic duo.

"Isn't _Alfred_ the guy we talked to when that rich kid was kidnapped and you guys were out of town?"

Robin said nothing so Wally imagined the expression on his best friend's face. He probably felt caught for one, and that Batman would probably kill him for making such a slip. Wally tried not to smile too wide.

"Yeah. That was Alfred. Don't mention him to the team or around Batman. I don't want him to know I slipped like that."

Wally laughed, letting go of his ear for a moment. He heard some more shouting then plugged it again. He really didn't want to hear what they were saying. He rather hear about happier things, like his friends. Or more important things, like what was going on in the superhero community.

"Is everything alright on your end?"

Wally stopped for a moment. There must have been some change in his laugh or the way he talked for Robin to know something was up. "Is anything ever alright?"

"They're fighting again aren't they." The pain in Robin's voice was slight, but Wally knew the kid was more sympathetic to him than to his parents. Robin was lucky. His parental figure didn't fight with his wife, if he had one. Actually, it was hard to imagine Batman being married. What woman would want him?

"No more than usual. So what's the real lowdown on the guys? I know I'm stuck here in Central Misery."

Wally's tactic of changing subjects wasn't lost on the boy wonder, they both knew it, but he let him change it anyway. "Conner's in Kansas, M'gann in Chicago, and Artemis just got a new place in Gotham. Want her address?"

For a moment Wally was tempted to say yes, if only to run over there to bug her for a few hours. But he instantly decided against it. Robin sounded too eager to give it to him. "No thanks. Rather have yours so we can start gaming or something."

Robin smirked. "Sorry. I'm stuck in bed until my blasted collarbone finishes healing. Alfred's taking me to the doctor for xrays tomorrow to see how it's progressing. League medicine is quite advance ya know. My concussion's fully healed and everything else doesn't hurt near as much."

"So why didn't you pick up until now?" Wally had been trying to call Robin the whole week after they talked at the cave. He hadn't gotten through until an hour ago.

"Several fevers," Robin mumbled slowly, not really wanting to say it. "Delirium, being doped up, plus my phone ran out of power."

"What?" Confusion filled Wally's voice. Robin didn't have that at the cave.

"Apparently I left my bed prematurely." Robin sounded upset with himself as he spoke. "I aggravated my condition and ended up with a fever. And a few hours after it'd break, I'd do something else to bring it back. They had to keep me doped up with meds just to keep me from making my condition worse. Still not in the best of shape."

His best friend gave a long whistle. "So you're confined to your bedroom?"

"To my bed." The irritation in his voice could not be missed. "I can only get up for potty breaks and have to be propped up by pillow or Alfred's gonna call Batman in and strap me to the bed until I'm fully healed. And with those two, it's not an idle threat."

Wally couldn't help but to laugh. He could see it happen too. Robin was stubborn enough to do anything just to feel free, even if it meant making his condition worse. And Batman was just as stubborn, plus twice as protective over his Robin, enough to do exactly that. So Batman did know when to put his foot down with his little bird. He just normally didn't have to.

"It's not that funny Wal."

"Yes it is! And come on man! It's not that bad." Wally gave a sad smile to himself, thinking of his own family coming apart at the seams. "They'll actually do something about it. For me, it's just a grounding I won't listen to. Man I miss Uncle Barry."

There was a brief silence as he thought of his uncle. The Flash was with most of the League, helping with the war in Atlantis. He wasn't much help since he was, other than his speed, an ordinary human. But his skills as a scientist helped with a few of their efforts. Plus he was running between Batman and the others who couldn't do anything under water, and those who were really leading the fight down there. Being one of the strong, friendly, one trick wonders of the League, plus a founding member, made him needed everywhere.

After what happened two weeks ago, the two of them had hardly spoken. Barry was there for him though. He held him through his knee operation, made sure he didn't struggle too much from the pain. Wally's metabolism had grown too fast for painkillers or anesthetics to work on him anymore, so he needed some real support during that. Wally remembered the face his uncle made during it all. He was in just as much pain as Wally, and he wasn't the one who'd suffered it all. When Wally passed out halfway through the operation, Barry stayed with him. When he woke up, his uncle was at his side. And when Aquaman had come in requesting Flash's assistance with Atlantis, he didn't really want to leave.

But Wally couldn't be selfish. His uncle was one of the greatest people in the world. A hero. A superhero. The Flash. If there was a crisis, he had to help them. So Wally insisted he'd be fine and for his uncle to run on to the war, to do what he could.

So he went.

It'd been two weeks and he hadn't heard from him. He couldn't work on him like he said he would. Flash was busy. And he'd stay busy until either the war down there was over or there really wasn't anything left he could do. Maybe if Aunt Iris said she was pregnant he'd come running home, but that was a big maybe. Getting her to lie to her husband was something he doubted would ever happen.

Robin must have sensed Wally's small worry for his favorite relative. "He'll be back soon. You'll see. They'll all be back soon."

"I hope so." Wally let go of his ear for a moment and pushed himself into a sitting position. His crutch leaned against his bedpost but he didn't feel he needed it. Honestly, his knee felt fine, normal even, especially since it was a replacement. Wally wondered how fast he could go with this leg now. Would he ever stay as fast as his uncle?

"Wars are stupid," Wally stated flatly. "Why did Kaldur even start one?"

"I don't know." The darker tone in Robin's voice warned Wally away from this subject. It must have been the one mystery left the bird hadn't figured out. "But when we find him, we're going to find out."

They said nothing for a moment, knowing they wanted to talk more but not knowing what to talk about. Wally looked back to his knee, a thought zooming through his mind. "Hey, how do you know when your knee's going to be okay?"

"I dunno, when you put pressure on it and you don't feel like yelling?" Robin may have suffered more injuries than most kids his age, and far more than Wally, but both his knees were intact.

Wally got to his feet and gingerly set his foot down. He winced for a second but really, it was more of the annoying sat-wrong-on-it pain than a got-it-blown-off pain. He walked around for a few minutes testing it. "Huh, it feels okay I guess."

"Lucky you." He could hear Robin bitterly slide further into his bed. "It's hard to move around at all with this collar of mine."

"That sucks."

"And it sucks more because I have to wait for it to heal!" The kid gave an exasperated sigh. "I so wish I could heal as fast as you."

Wally laughed for a moment, looking around his room. He didn't need a crutch, but Central needed a Flash. Roy was right. It was their job to patrol the cities, their territories, until their mentors came back. All Wally needed was his uniform. He found it and the Flash ring his uncle gave him to keep him out of his own supplies after a few minutes.

His parents were still fighting in the rest of the house. He needed to get out.

"Hey," Wally started as he carefully started changing clothes, "If you could have any superpowers you wanted, what would they be?"

Robin answered without any hesitation. "Flying, accelerated healing, a power ring would be nice, and maybe some invulnerability. But mostly flying and healing. Especially right now."

The boy speedster grinned. Running really fast was as close as he'd get to flying, and he healed faster than most kids his age. So basically, Robin was definitely envious of him

"Wipe that grin off your face," Robin barked back quickly. Quickly Wally looked around his room for a camera before his best friend elaborated. "You said any powers, and I'm pretty certain flying and running aren't the same thing."

"Well it's just cool knowing you want something I've got just a little bit."

"Oh shut it."

Wally laughed again before finishing his costume. "Hey, what kind of powers do you think Batman would want?"

Robin laughed. He probably asked before and got some interesting answers. "I don't think it'd be good for anyone if he actually had powers. Have you heard what happened when he had a power ring for a few hours? Thank heavens he was fighting aliens in space at the time 'cause I don't think there'd be anything left if it was on Earth."

"What, seriously?" Wally made his way to his window and peeked through the curtains to make sure no one was watching his window. Someone was taking their overly dressed poodle for a walk. He'd have to wait a few minutes more. "Uncle Hal told me he went a little overboard—"

"A little overboard? He threw a freakin' comet at their mother ship!" Robin was laughing at the memory and Wally wondered how the kid knew such a detail. "Oh and there was this one time when he and Jason Blood had somehow exchanged bodies, and so Batman had the power of his demon self. The looks on criminals' faces when Etrigan cornered them was priceless! He was going around like that non-stop for a week before Blood and I found a way to reverse the process.

"And there was this other time when—" Robin stopped short, making Kid Flash look at his phone as if it somehow died. "Hiii…."

KF could hear someone else talking to Robin at that moment, but nothing could be made out. It took him a second to realize Batman had just walked in. "Oh crap. Daddybats?"

"Talk to you later Wal."

The phone cut off and Kid Flash knew calling back that night would be near impossible. More than likely Batman would either take the phone away or dope the kid up again to ensure he got the rest he required. Well Robin did need the rest, but keeping him away from his friends didn't help him either. Batman really needed to lighten up when it came to his little bird.

KF sighed before putting his phone into a compartment next to his food. He may need it before the night was done. In the mean time… He looked back out his window. The coast was clear. His parents were still fighting, and his dad was winning. That was a battle he didn't want any part in. He just wanted everything to be clear, like it was when he fought bad guys.

There was wrong and there was right. There was good and there was evil. There shouldn't be two goods or two evils to choose between.

He took a breath before quietly opening his window and slipping out of the house. Central needed a Flash. He was there and able to move. It was time he got back in the game.

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><p>AN: So I did this mountain of research online and didn't find any evidence saying Wally was abused by his dad. The only thing I know for certain is that his parents are divorced when he gets married. His dad was also a manhunter. if anyone can refute this claim, or can prove his dad's no more than a disgruntled man who needs to get his priorities straight, then tell me. If his parents are divorced in the future, there'd definitely be arguing in his house now. Love the Flash family, really do, Bart more than any of them, but I can't seem to get as many details on their personal lives other than their love lives and how much they all care for Iris. oh, and that Barry and Wally have a close relationship, but Bart's the one they just can't quite figure out how to handle. That's all I've got.

So the whole chapter is about Wally and Robin chilling and talking on the phone. I imagine the two of them talk a lot when their mentors aren't looking. Plus, Robin would slip up around Wally wouldn't he? Wally's parents fighting in the background only there to make it clear why he's such a goofball with the group. He needs to be happy somehow.

Next up is Kaldur. Hey, I have to explain his side somehow.


	7. Traitor

**Disclaimer:** If I owned young justice, why am I so poor? DC people have way more money than me.

Okay, it's way late and I should be sleeping, but I read one fanfic and it got me to finish this one. Really, awesome stories make me write more. review make me giddy.

So here's Kaldur's part. For us Robin fans, there's also lots of batfluff. watch how my sleep deprived brain works.

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><p><strong>Traitor<strong>

Kaldur looked at the acid burn on his arm. Robin had left him a parting gift before his final breaths. The acid had burned away part of the tattoos controlling his powers. It was difficult to use them at the moment, but he'd learn how to manage that soon enough.

The gashes across his chest were healing smoothly, but he had guessed they would. That bird boy never had the courage to kill someone. Brave as the kid was, he had hesitated during the fight. Kaldur had seen the signs of fear, panic, disbelief, sorrow. Guilt. Robin had fought hard to conceal each emotion, to fight Kaldur as any other enemy he faced before, but it was still there. Robin knew neither of them would make it out of there in one piece.

In a way, Kaldur admired the boy for fighting as hard as he had.

M'gann went down far too easily. A few blows from a friend and she was out of commission. Psychological trauma was the only way to win against her.

Superboy was also easy to break. A few well trained blows and the knowledge of someone breaking his arm, someone he trusted explicitly, was all it took to take the boy of steel down. '_Boy of steel?_' he thought. '_Boy of stone is more like it. Easily shattered._'

Artemis was a little harder because she didn't quite trust anyone. But she was far too angry to take down anyone. Merely stopping her from using her best weapon was enough.

Kaldur had to use strategy to take down Kid Flash. Part psychology, part tactics, it wasn't as difficult to take out his knee to stop him. How the kid had gotten so fast so quickly still unnerved him.

Yes, Kaldur was pleased the fight with Robin was a challenge. But the boy was also fighting himself. He thought too much of his friends, cared too much for everyone, and even thought he knew Kaldur when he didn't. Like Batman would, he fought with all he had, but unlike his mentor, Robin hesitated to give the necessary blows to take him down.

Honestly, Robin used to beat Kaldur in a fight. Of course, Kaldur hadn't used his powers other than strength in those brawls, but Robin hadn't used his belt in them either. When did the kid have acid in that thing?

Kaldur continued to stare at his reflection. His clothes were different. He tossed aside his Aqualad uniform the day he won those scars. Now he wore black. It was still similar to his old costume, but he wore the black proudly. Three years operating as an undercover agent, a spy, becoming Aqualad, it had finally come to an end. And it was all thanks to one kid.

Robin.

It was all that kid's fault any of this was possible. Five years ago, when rumor of Batman having taken in a kid to be his partner reached the Justice League, Aquaman, King Orin, wanted an apprentice. Within a year Green Arrow also had a child, or rather a teen, helping him in Star City. This only fueled the king's desire for someone to rear as his partner. Then came Kid Flash. By then Aquaman's enemies knew of his fondest wish and were making plans. That was when Kaldur came in.

Up until then, Kaldur had only watched his father from afar. They had a strained relationship to say the least, but they both believed in the same thing. Absolute equality throughout all the seas. The black population of Atlantis and Oceania were treated far from fairly, and once his father ruled the seas, everything would be equal.

'_It's a pity the world cannot be at peace with itself._'

Kaldur shook his head to clear it. King Orin's words meant nothing. He was part outsider. So was Queen Mera, being originally from Oceania. They knew nothing of what he and his kind had suffered. His kind were the true rulers of—

'_Some day, I'm gonna be my own man,_' Robin firmly stated to him. '_One day, no one's going to protect me. I'll be protecting them. We'll all help each other._'

He shook his head again. That boy was the source of all this. If he hadn't opened the flood gates, if he didn't make it possible for a League member to have a child partner, then Kaldur would never have become Aqualad.

"Nothing thus far has worked to overthrow that king." Kaldur's father had told him. For once they were together, actually talking face to face. It didn't happen often. Kaldur assumed it was because of how his mother had died in labor. Being around him must have been painful for this man. "But I've been watching him. My men have watched him closely. He wants a child of his own. He wants someone to raise in his footsteps. He wants a partner like that Bat's bird boy.

"Your mission is to become that partner."

Kaldur, only fourteen at the time, was shocked. Him? Become Aquaman's partner? His sidekick? His, dare he say it, son?

"But father—"

"Once you have his confidence, you'll be feeding me information from the inside." His father pointed out quite a bit more, making it clear how important this mission was. "Gather everything. I need to know the man's weakness. I need to know the defenses of his kingdom. I need to know what makes him shake at night.

"This is going to be a long mission," his father stated flatly. "I'll need you there for as long as possible. If you can manage to gather information on the Justice League as well, so be it. Become the new bright shining hope for the next generation. Do everything you can to gain their total trust. I need to know everything. I _need_ to know _everything_."

This was a heavy mission, and at fifteen he wasn't sure if he could do this. But when his father, Black Manta, told him what to do, he did it. Now he could truly be of some use to his father.

He nodded his agreement. "I will not let you down Father."

Kaldur remembered how hard it was to become Aquaman's protégé. He came to Atlantis and joined the conservatory to at least have some citizen back ground before trying to gain Aquaman's attention and favor. He wasn't sure how to make that happen. How had that boy wonder caught Batman's eye anyway? What about that Speedy? Kid Flash had appeared while Kaldur was in the school, and even he was a mystery. He needed to become King Orin's favorite fast.

He hadn't counted on making friends with Garth and Tula. But like him, they were outsiders. Garth was abandoned as a child, his mother leaving him to die when she saw his eyes. No one quite understood why. And Tula came from a different region as well, having served under the previous king. Though both were outsiders, they were accepted because of their skills. So was Kaldur.

While at the school, he started to feel comfortable with these new friends of his. He was even thinking of abandoning his quest his father gave him. He could live his own life there, he was beginning to think, and live a life of peace. That was when Ocean Master appeared.

The timing couldn't have been better.

Once he and Garth had saved, even helped, Aquaman take down Ocean Master, everything seemed to fall into place. For a moment Kaldur feared Garth would take the position of Aqualad (King Orin already had a name picked out) but was relieved when his friend chose to continue his schooling. At last, Kaldur had completed the first part of his mission.

As Aqualad, Kaldur had complete run of the palace. He could learn from the libraries there, train with the military, hear the latest news on their scientific breakthroughs, and was privy to nearly all of Atlantis' secrets. He did his best to be the loyal soldier to his 'King', fought at his side, and together saved many lives. Aquaman even brought up the option of 'adoption' to Kaldur's world, by that time having considered him like a son.

"Forgive me my king," Kaldur had responded, "but it is unfitting for one like myself to become one of the royal house."

King Orin looked slightly disappointed, but instead nodded. "I see. The people are not ready." Sadness had crept upon the man's face and Kaldur couldn't help but to be touched by the man's feelings towards him. He only wished his father too would look at him like this.

His king gave a short sigh, then nodded to himself. "Then there must be something I can reward you with for your recent endeavors."

Kaldur tried not to show the mixture of emotions inside him that day. They had fought Black Manta and his men, and Kaldur could not hold back. He had to fight them for real, and it worried him. He did not want to fight his father, ever, but it was all part of their plan. And so far it was working perfectly. In their recent communications, his father had hinted of a higher organization interested in working with them. A powerful group he called, 'The Light'.

Thinking he was working for 'The Light' made things easier on Kaldur's conscience. It wasn't betrayal anymore. It was a higher calling.

A thought struck Aquaman at last and he grinned. "I know! You wanted to go to the surface right? Let's go visit the Justice League!"

If he could go pail, he would have. Kaldur had only been Aqualad for little under a year. Would any of them accept him? Would the Batman know what he was planning? The world's greatest detective would surely be able to see through him, wouldn't he? If he could fool the Batman, he could fool anyone.

"As you wish, My King."

Within the week, the two were at the League's headquarters, Mt. Justice. Kaldur didn't know where or what it was his first time there. Batman had ordered him to be blindfolded when he arrived, and Aquaman, still wanting to impress everyone despite paranoia, had done as requested.

"You can take it off now."

It wasn't the voice he was expecting to hear. It was higher, but not a woman's. A child's? A… Kaldur ripped off the blindfold to see the one who stared it all.

Looking up at him eagerly was Robin, the boy wonder, a huge grin on his face. His costume would change in the coming year, as would his hair style. Most of it was combed back and gelled except for two locks in front dangling over his mask. His pants were green, not black, but still he could tell they were perfect for combat. But the impish grin on the kid's face was what really took him back. He looked like he wanted to play a game or show Kaldur something he made. He seemed so innocent and child like. It was hard to believe he was the Batman's, the Dark Knight's, the most feared man in Gotham (and the League), protégé. He was just too happy.

He thrust out a hand for Kaldur to shake. "Hey there! Name's Robin. And you're Aqualad right? Do you really have gills? What's with the tattoos? Kinda cool, but really hard to cover up if you want to do incognito. At least you'll never have to wear a dress. Do they even have dresses in Atlantis? I mean, they'd probably get in the way while swimming everywhere right? Can't imagine having to do that. I can hardly tread water for half a day before wanting to keel over. How do you do it?"

"Robin."

The boy's grin wilted a little, knowing he was caught at the sound of his name. Batman crossed the room, a none too pleased expression on his face.

"I was not aware Robin would be visiting today as well," Aquaman mumbled beside the still bewildered Kaldur. He couldn't understand why this kid talked so much and asked so many questions. And why was he smiling?

"He wasn't." Kaldur looked up at the looming man, and felt fear nearly take over him. Even his King seemed unsettled by the man. The scowl on his face could freeze the whole sea, and yet it was focused entirely on the boy shaking Kaldur's hand excitedly, still grinning.

"You have tests tomorrow," the Dark Knight continued as if the two Atlantians weren't there.

Robin let go of Aqualad's hand, looking up with a pleading smile on his face. "I wanted to meet him."

"So you hacked my systems, again."

"Not like I could sneak in the Batmobile. Ever since you got those zeta-tubes perfected you use them to meet the League."

"You know why."

"Oh come on! You don't let me meet anyone!" The kid protested animatedly, his grin fading but emotions still clear on his face. "Practically everyone in the League had to hunt us down just so we could meet for a few minutes, and there was no way you'd let me see KF if I hadn't snuck in that one time! Don't you think it's about time your paranoia was given a rest?"

"Say that after Joker's had you locked in a closet with a bomb. Again." Batman's annoyance was beyond evident, and suddenly Kaldur was glad Aquaman wasn't anything like the other Leaguers.

"It was only those two times. And I disarmed the second one myself, thank you." The near twelve year old looked at Kaldur, still grinning. "Don't mind Batman. He's just really self-conscious and doesn't like it when anyone around him gets hurt. HWA!"

Batman's patience was clearly lost as he grabbed the kid's cape at his collar and nearly dragged the kid away. "That's enough. Home. Now."

"But I haven't even said hi to Superman yet!" Robin got his feet underneath him and hurried his pace to match his mentor's. "He said his Ma made me some cookies!"

"The last thing you need is sugar." Batman quickly tapped away at the keyboard with one hand, activating the zeta-beam to take them away.

"You could use some cookie-lovin-goodness. Are you planning on eating my share at this meeting?" The Bat gave his bird a quick scowl only for an impish grin to meet it. "Save me some?"

"We'll see."

"Don't let Flash eat them all. He and KF nearly ate that ice cream shop out of business."

"Uh-huh."

_Recognized Batman-02. Recognized Robin-B01._

Batman gave Robin another swift glare and the kid just grinned up at him proudly. The older man gave an exasperated sigh, shaking his head as the beam started settling on the two of them. Robin looked back to the Atlantians and waved excitedly. "Talk to you both next time! Nice meeting you Aqualad!"

Then they were gone in a blinding light.

Kaldur was stunned. When he heard about Robin the previous year, he assumed he'd be just like his mentor, the dark and broody Batman. It turned out to be the opposite. He was the bright honest child who couldn't be cowed by his mentor's darkness even the slightest. His immaturity in their meeting proved he shouldn't be fighting crime but staring in some elementary school play.

Kaldur just stared at the Zeta-tube in shock. He had worked hard to be the best. To be as mature as possible. To be considered wise and stable. To be the perfect soldier to fight along the side of his king.

Robin was merely a boy playing hero, and Batman was his babysitter.

The amount of annoyance, even loathing towards the child couldn't be described. His father, his mentor, was merely taking his kid with him for a ride. It was nothing to do with skill. The man just doted on a willful child. Maybe a smart one for his age, but a willful, grinning child none the less.

They were nothing alike.

King Orin clapped a hand on Aqualad's shoulder and he looked up to him. The king had a kind smile on his face, though a little awkward. "Well, that was interesting. Meeting Robin is a rare occurrence here. Batman tries to keep him in Gotham, but the boy's clever. For those who meet him personally even once, he finds a way to meet you again. Then you really get to know him."

"Is he always so…" Kaldur didn't know what to say. The first people in the superhero community he meets beyond his king are the ones he and his mentor were trying to imitate. And they were nothing alike.

"Chatty? I'm afraid so." The king guided Kaldur towards one of the hallways, intending to introduce him to certain members of the league first. "He's a curious child. Even asked me a thousand questions before rambling on about some bizarre fact. So long as he doesn't talk about Batman's more personal feelings or life, Batman just lets him be. Otherwise, it's a very short visit.

"But you should be really glad the boy was here," Orin's smile relaxed. Kaldur was mystified as to why. "Batman's difficult to warm up to. Robin's presence speeds things up, and he's one of the few Batman can't scare. Without that little bird, I doubt the man would have stayed on the League, and we really do need him."

"How so?" For a moment, Kaldur felt he'd learn something infinitely valuable about the League. Batman was necessary for the League, and Robin was key in keeping him there. Why?

"For many reason." Orin wasn't comfortable talking about Batman for some reason. Maybe the Bat scared him a little. "Now, how about meeting Martian Manhunter? He's a very good friend of mine."

Kaldur remembered how many times he'd seen Robin and the League base since. Robin was always finding ways to sneak in and run around the place when they should be waiting patiently for their mentors to come out of their meetings, usually where they're expected to be. Aquaman would tell stories from time to time of how Robin would start cracking jokes with Superman and Flash, occasionally with Green Arrow and Lantern even, all at Batman's expense and the man would take it because of Robin. Then he heard stories of when Batman wasn't at League operations because of something in Gotham where the bird would be in trouble and need saving. There was even a time when Kaldur was resting and this king had opened his door just to check on him. It was about a week later that he heard Robin was in bad shape because of a villain they were dealing with. Batman wouldn't leave the boy's side.

Every story Kaldur heard about Robin made his blood boil.

Yes he faked concern for the kid, but Aquaman wanted a "Robin", a kid who could balance him out. He didn't really want Kaldur. Every day he felt the pressure building inside him. He told his father about the League headquarters in the mountain and he informed other villains on land so they could attack them. It relieved the pressure a little, but not enough.

When he heard of a new League base, and a new recruitment drive, Kaldur became excited. He was becoming a little complacent as Aqualad, despite his ever growing jealously and anger towards the first child hero. King Orin said he and the other "sidekicks" were first in line to join the League.

That day, _the day_, July fourth, was going to be the signal to the end of his mission. Unfortunately he had to meet the other "sidekicks" again.

He remembered lining up with the others and spotted out of the corner of his eye the boy wonder. He had survived his many ordeals somehow, made it to thirteen. Batman hand his hand on the boy's shoulder, a small proud smile on his face. "Today's the day."

Jealousy, envy, loathing, all were directed at the two. They started his mission, made it possible. And the way they behaved… Never had his father displayed affection towards him. Never had they bantered. Not once had they stood side by side.

He looked to Aquaman for a moment. They stood side by side, but the king really didn't see him. He was the king and Kaldur the soldier, so they never argued. They had no relation. Despite everything he had done, Kaldur was nothing more than a "sidekick" for Aquaman's ego.

'_Maybe being part of the League will make up for it._' But even that was a lie. Speedy, the only one Kaldur felt he could even relate to (both of them had talked about father troubles), left in anger when he saw how limited and uninformed they all were. There seemed to be less shock on Robin's face when he mentioned the space station, so it was likely he knew about it. Kaldur felt again the anger and passion of his true mission at that moment, and felt the fastest way to get even with his king was to join the trouble making kids in venturing into Cadmus.

Kaldur sighed, remembering the new risks and adventures he put himself into after that. They found Superboy. They made a team. The League was merely watching out for them the whole time. The mountain base was opened up again, renovated some. They were sent on missions.

Kaldur was made leader.

How that happened boggled the mind. He was a soldier, not a leader. Robin was the real logical choice, but after fighting along side him, Kaldur knew his strengths and weaknesses. The boy wasn't playing hero, he was one. But he had yet to figure out how teams worked. In a way, Aqualad had learned to accept Robin, loathing him less and less, but he didn't forget his end goal. Being leader of this team wasn't part of the plan.

Kaldur now looked out his window, thinking of why he finally ended his mission. He had enough data, had enough for a long time. He had grown complacent again. He nearly forgot his true mission, the real reason he was with them to begin with.

And again it was because of Robin and Batman.

The two were talking, just talking, in one of the lounges. Kaldur had happened upon it on pure accident. They weren't talking about anything important. In fact, both of them had something in their hands. Why they were there, just seemingly chilling boggled the mind. Robin was leaning his back against Batman's arm, his book propped up and used like a desk for possibly his homework. Batman was looking through computer files on some subject or another. It looked like they were both just studying. Occasionally one would ask the other for their opinion on something. Then Robin asked something completely out of the blue.

"Hey, are we always gonna be Batman and Robin?"

Batman's face was impossible to see, but confusion was in his voice. "Why are you asking that?"

The boy shrugged. "Something people talked about at school the other day. They said all team ups end."

"Oh?" From Batman's tone, Kaldur guessed he suspected a different thought was running through the boy's head.

The boy could tell he knew too. "I just… I don't want this to end. I love working on a team, really I do. But…"

Batman calmly put a hand on the boy's head and tilted it back so they could see eye to eye (or mask to mask in this case). "I'm not going anywhere. Are you?" The boy shook his head. "Then don't ask pointless questions. We may have our teams, but nothing can keep us apart. Now finish your homework. I'm nearly done here."

Batman had pushed the kid's head back up so he could get back to work, but not before Robin could smile.

The scene made Kaldur sick. Robin had everything. Aquaman ruled the seas. His team were filled with misfits and one 'perfect' angel the whole League doted on. He was almost accepted, almost felt like he had a real home again. He had grown complacent.

He nearly forgot his mission. His true mission.

The team's last mission together was by the sea. The villains in question didn't work for 'The Light'. They were easily taken care of but Kaldur couldn't stay with the team a minute longer. It was time to leave.

The fight that ensued wasn't too long. Robin lasted the longest, but with the sea on hand, he couldn't win. Killing the boy wonder was the greatest feat he'd ever done.

He warned the others away from being heroes. 'The Light' didn't want them fighting. They should just be kids, or work with them. Maybe he could turn a few. Wally he could only discourage. Robin had to die. Roy might have to as well, but he wasn't Kaldur's responsibility. Seemed this Cheshire had taking a liking to him. Maybe she could turn him, or kill him. Didn't matter.

What mattered was Robin called in the League, exposed him. This was the first child of the League, their cherished little bird.

Batman would kill him.

So Kaldur ran.

Just stories from Aquaman were enough to scare Kaldur away. Batman wasn't easily detoured. He was very protective of his Robin. When angered, he didn't hesitate to threaten Superman, reportedly his best friend, with Kryptonite or personal details. Criminals told him everything after only a few minutes with him.

Hurting Robin meant pain to the offender.

Killing would surely mean only death.

His father wasn't pleased with his cowardly retreat, but all the information he had gathered on Atlantis was valuable. It was enough to settle the man's rage. For now he kept secret what he knew about the rest of the team. He doubted many of them would return to this way of life, but if they did, he would deal with them.

Robin hadn't been in the news for near a month. Batman had on occasion, but no Robin.

The boy was dead. Kaldur made 'the Light' proud. He had emotionally crippled at least half the League. He took out their secret opps team. He had angered the Bat.

But was it worth it?

He remembered smiling with his team members. He remembered the drills, the trainings, the missions. They had done a lot of good. He had done a lot of good. He had so much with them. Was it worth it to betray them all? Just to satisfy his father?

Slowly Kaldur remembered coming home and meeting his father, Black Manta, after three years of being apart. He reported everything. He told him why he had to leave his mission without consulting him. He explained why he left the team on the beach to die slowly. At the end of it, his father merely nodded.

"Your intel these past few years has helped greatly. We're attacking Atlantis tomorrow."

Kaldur could hardly believe it. "So soon?"

"Nothing like the present." Black Manta stood out of his chair and approached Kaldur. His wounds were still smarting. He gave his son a pat on his good shoulder. "Good job. You have earned your scars with pride."

Kaldur looked back into his mirror firmly. He nodded to himself.

It was worth it.

* * *

><p>AN: so Kaldur betrayed them all but has lots of doubts. he really just wanted to make his father proud. he's jealous of Robin, if no one's figured that out by now, mostly because, lets face it, Robin's the unofficial Justice League member and everyone's golden boy! If the League wasn't Batman's place, I'm pretty sure Dick would have joined them as an adult. yes I know he did a few times in the comics, each time reluctantly. Kaldur just can't be Robin. So he grew up hating the one he wanted to be like or everyone expected him to be like. I know in the show they look like best buds, but if kaldur can fool batman and robin for years as a mole, don't you think he'd hold secret anger issues against someone he'd fake is his friend? Think about it.

Probably will edit later. Shouldn't be up past midnight. next up is the finally, and bootcamp. =P


	8. Try Again

**Disclaimer:** dude, if I owned young justice, would I be writing and watching TV on christmas eve/day and posting when santa should be visiting me? get your priorities straight! DC owns them

Just so you know, there are no OC's in this one. And this is the final chapter! I am not taking this anywhere further. If you want to continue this line of thinking, do so. But I'm done. I've got two other series to work on here, plus a few one shots in mind and another two Robin centric series I want to get to. You'll understand what I mean at the end of the page.

* * *

><p><strong>Try Again<strong>

Roy sat anxiously at the steps to the Hall of Justice. It was nearly a year ago he threw down his hat as Speedy there, walking away from his legal guardian. Course he was an adult, he didn't have to listen to anybody. The following year had been difficult to say the least, but he felt becoming Red Arrow and escaping Oliver's shadow was the best thing he ever did.

The summer heat in DC was muggy, and it was only starting. Tourists were coming in and around the field surrounding the building he stood before. To the unknowing civilians, he was just a young college student waiting for his friends to arrive. A duffle bag sat at his feet and he sat on the stairs, just waiting.

He was told to wait until Wally arrived. Since the Flash's were known to be five minutes late no matter what, he could only guess it was so everyone else could make it there as well. It had been nearly three months since Kaldur's betrayal, three months since he'd seen Robin. Rumor of the bird boy's death had reached Star City, but Roy had talked to the kid just two weeks ago. He was back to full health, but said Batman was being his usual paranoid self. Robin was getting training, lots of it, and catching up on school work.

Roy rolled his eyes. Rob was still in school, Roy decided to ditch college. Didn't suit him. Despite their age difference, Roy never really thought of Robin as a child. Not anymore at least. Hadn't since that thing with Two-Face. Yeah, he and KF knew about that time. Rob almost was forced to retire after that. Thank heavens he was stubborn as hell.

That was why he wasn't just a kid to him. He'd seen plenty of college kids more immature than Rob. What made them adults was a number. If even half those kids could do or would do what that boy wonder did, then Roy would consider them grown up. Knowing the bird boy, he'd probably have college finished online before he graduated high school.

Roy shook his head to stop thinking about the kid. Batman had called him, literally called him, and requested (an option not an ultimatum) he be there that afternoon with enough clothes and gear to last a week. He said it'd be worth it, and incredibly difficult. Those were just the right words to put him on an overnight flight to DC, despite wanting to show up Ollie and the Bat at some time or another. He wasn't exactly given a time to go in, just to wait for Wally.

He'd been waiting for an hour. Nearly two.

It was finally beginning to pay off.

Soon enough he saw Conner and Megan walking towards him. Conner was talking excitedly, a pair of round Harry Potter glasses on his face and a duffle bag over his shoulder. He even wore a red plaid shirt over a black tee. Mostly though, Roy couldn't believe how… happy he was. Megan (her human form) still had a few bandages on her, but she gladly listened to Conner as they walked towards them. She only had a grocery bag with her and a small purse.

"…then Pa said, 'if you can get all your chores done in time, then we'll go to the fair.' So, using his speed, he ran around the hen house, scared nearly every chicken, as he gathered the eggs in under five minutes! Pa as furious and Ma laughed. Course he was grounded and had to muck out everything for a month, but he was ten! Ten and had superspeed." The light in Conner's eyes was beyond anything Roy'd ever seen in the clone's eyes. Where ever he went over the spring term apparently took away his seemingly endless rage. And who was he talking about?

Megan cheerily smiled. "That's amazing. I really want to meet Ma some time."

"You should!" Conner was so happy talking to Megan about his new Ma and Pa, he wasn't even thinking about keeping secrets. "There's this fair actually in a few weeks. You should come over and see it. There's this spring pig I've been raising and…"

"Wow, Superboy turned farm boy." They both looked up at Roy who smirked at them. He gave them a quick wave, his eyes hidden by the much needed sunglasses. "Hi."

"Red Arrow?" They both stared at him, surprised all over their faces. "What are you doing here? We thought the team—"

"Big, dark and gloomy called me." Roy stood up and stretched his back. The step was making him sore. "Said it'd be worth my wile if I came. Made it clear it was optional. You?"

The two hesitantly answered. "He called both of us. Said if we wanted to continue the team, we had to come."

"Glad I wasn't the only one with that advice."

The three turned with a start to see Zatanna, a large smirk on her face. She too was in civies, but her hair was tied back due to the heat. A backpack dangled from one of her hands. Not far behind her, they could see Artemis getting off a bus. She had an army issued pack, stuffed nearly to bursting, almost as if she had run away from home.

Zatanna continued to talk. "Dad said Bats would let the team work again if we did something over summer. Some long mission or another."

"And you're on this team… how?" Roy looked up and down the girl. He hadn't met her before, and frankly he wasn't impressed. Nearly Robin's age, did Batman call her in so the kid could have a girlfriend?

Megan answered quickly. "She helped us get Red Tornado back. She's Zatara's daughter, Zatanna."

"And I earned my place a few times," Zatanna continued calmly. She eyed Roy for a minute, then shrugged. "Think of me as the magical expert of the group. You alright red?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Roy answered quickly.

"I meant Megan, the other red-head." Zatanna pointed to the alien girl and her bandages.

Roy and Conner also looked at her just as Artemis joined them. Megan looked away slightly, before mumbling. "I… I'm having trouble healing, I guess. Haven't quite gotten over…"

"Well I have," Artemis butted in. She was just as much a tough talker as ever. "And really M'gann, you should realize by now, dwelling on it, especially when you're key on getting that guy down, isn't gonna make things better. You need your full health."

"Yeah," Conner said affectionately, "You do."

"Whoa," Roy started, a little confused, "you're key to taking down that fishboy? How?"

Megan gave a slow nod, trying not to look into their faces. "Robin's plan. He said, should we face… him… again, Conner would have to subdue him while I go into his mind and alter his memories."

"Alter his memories?" Zatanna questioned. Out of all of them, she was the only member who had no emotional scars from the betrayal. She actually thought Kaldur was boring.

"How?" Roy demanded, his eyes narrowing to a glare. "How were you going to alter his memories?"

"Robin said," she started slowly, "we had to make our names, our faces, and any personal details he learned about is, fuzzy or gone so he couldn't go after us individually. So long as… he… didn't know who we were, nor our weaknesses or anything else about us, he couldn't really hurt us."

"So you think if we take out that part of his mind, the part that knows us, we'll be safe?" Roy restated just to make sure he got this plan straight. Vaguely he recalled something like this being talked about in the cave, but he was so mad at the fishboy for hurting his friends he pushed it to the side. He had his own plans for Kaldur, mostly introducing him to the Sonoran Desert and then having target practice. He'd take the fried salmon to the authorities after a few days of fun.

Megan nodded. "It's Robin's plan."

"It's a good plan," Zatanna stated. The others nodded. "But who knows how much he's told his allies by now. Any idea why he changed sides to begin with?"

"No idea." Everyone looked at each other, a bit grim. Just a few minutes ago Conner was happily talking to Megan. Now they were all in an icy silence, like the early summer heat never existed.

"Any idea why Bats called us all here for something?" Artemis asked them all. She adjusted her pack a bit nervously.

"Dad said we had to do something big over summer. He said it was optional but…"

The boys gave short laughs and Artemis joined in. "Nothing's optional with him," Conner stated flatly.

"Not anything League related at least," Roy piped in. He looked over Conner, thinking. He hardly knew this kid, but Robin and Wally filled him in on the details. Good kid over all, and with Superman's genes, there was no way this kid could seriously turn evil. Seemed like he understood the Bat too, at least as well as Roy did.

"Ah man!" They all turned with a jolt to see Wally dashing up to them. He looked particularly upset at being late, again. "Why am I always the last one here? Rob said he'd give me a preview if I was early! Hi Roy!"

The speedster gave his long time friend a wave and a grin, one Roy returned, walking over to him. They clapped hands in greeting and he continued to smile. "Hey Wal! Heard you've been busy in Central."

"No less than you in Star." They grinned impishly towards each other before letting go and having the speedster greet the others. "Hey guys! This everyone?"

"Everyone but Rob," Conner pointed out.

Wally stared at Conner for a moment, confused. "Hey dude, what's with the glasses? And the farm boy shirt? What did they do to you in Kansas?"

"Kansas?" Roy asked quickly, Zatanna and Artemis also intrigued.

"Um…"

"It's about time you showed up."

Everyone stopped socializing and stared at the girl coming towards them from the Hall. All three boy's mouths dropped and the girls openly stared at her. Before them came a near replica, though much younger version, of Wonder Woman in civilian clothing. Black hair, blue eyes, tall and slender, and a developing curvy, yet muscular, body. She gave the impression to them that she wouldn't be cowed, ever.

And though she looked like Wonder Woman, they knew she was more emotional than her. The slight annoyance in her voice competed with the merry excitement in the way she looked at them. Impatient was the best way to describe her. Quickly she came to the step where Roy's bag sat, giving them a commanding, yet friendly smile. "I'm Donna Troy. The people you're waiting to meet are inside. So come on! Let's get this started!"

"Hell yeah." Roy nearly ran to the front of the group, grabbing his bag quickly as he followed Donna back up the stairs. Already his best smile was growing on his face. "I'm Roy Harper. Red Arrow. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." She gave him a quick smile back, steady yet with the hint of anticipation.

"Hey! No fair! Roy!" Wally ran after the two, Artemis glaring at all three of their backs as she followed suit. Zatanna gave a quick giggle as she followed them, while the alien couple took up the rear. None of them could wait any longer.

By the time they reached the inner doors of the Hall of Justice, they had gone around introducing themselves to Donna, then immediately asked for her origin story. She shrugged. "What's there to tell? Diana, your Wonder Woman, is my sister. When she told mother and I of the war under the sea and of your former leader's betrayal, I demanded to come and fill the void he left, to correct his wrongs."

"Mind if we verify this?" Artemis asked, very suspicious.

Donna blinked at her and nodded. "Do whatever you feel is necessary. Only men are forbidden from coming to Themiscara. You're welcome to visit the island any time."

"Dude!" Wally started, a bit irked at Artemis. "She's Wonder Woman's kid sister! There's no way she'd betray her own family!"

"I did." The group looked over to Artemis again, three in confusion and the others remembering what she told them back at the cave. She then looked over to Roy, trying not to smirk too broadly as she asked, "So, how's Cheshire? Heard you've had quite a few run-ins with her lately."

Roy groaned. "Yeah, a few. I don't know what's going through her head. Does she want to kill me or…" He stopped just short of saying something embarrassing. Then he turned the tables on her. "What do you mean betraying your family?"

"Cheshire's my sister." She tried not to laugh at the shocked look on the man's face. "And Sportsmaster's our dad. Now that's out in the open, let's find out what Batman's planning."

Artemis strode forward as the others stared at her, Roy more than anyone. Before anyone could explain, he shouted, "YOUR SISTER?"

"Chill Roy," Wally stared, trying to calm his friend, but he wasn't really putting much effort into it.

"CHILL? You expect me to chill?" Roy turned on him and the alien couple, exasperated. "Cheshire's nearly killed all of you at one time or another! She's tried to kill me! She's the enemy!"

"Glad you realize that." Artemis' playful comment made Donna raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

The blush was slight, but anyone who knew him could see it. So only Wally could possibly see past his fierce glare. "Of course I know that. I've never treated her differently."

"Good to know." Artemis looked over to Donna again. "So, which way again?"

Donna pointed the way, and they continued to twist their way through the halls there. Pretty soon they made it to a pair of door reading 'Combat Room' very clearly on the outside. The young Amazon pressed a panel to the side of it, opening the doors and letting them see the scene within.

Before them Batman and Robin were fighting all out against each other. Actually, it was more like Batman was trying to hit Robin but the boy wonder was dodging, blocking and deflecting each strike coming his way. Neither looked like they were holding back. The strikes, flips and tumbles looked real, not like regular sparring in the slightest.

"What the…" Wally and the others gaped at the scene. Both members of the dynamic duo were drenched in sweat, the floor beneath them sleek from their fluids. How long had they been fighting like this?

A chirping was heard a moment or two later and in an instant, Robin flipped back once then launched himself into an all out attack on Batman. This time the dark knight was on the defensive, mostly just blocking Robin's blows or trying to turn them against the boy. The kid's volley of attacks was fast and accurate, but few landed on their mark.

The chirp came again and Batman was back on the offensive. Robin had to do some quick dodging to return to his defensive position, a small scowl on his face. "J'ai cru que j'avais cinq minutes."

Batman gave a gruff response, changing languages. "Das Feld gibt dir keine fünf Minuten."

"Ich denke, dass ich das bereits wusste," Robin responded, still dodging blows. "Aber das letzte Mal bekam ich fünf Minuten."

The team stared at each other for a moment as the two battled and switched languages again. "Los tiempos varían."

Robin seemed to give Batman an incredulous glare before dodging yet another series of blows. "¿En serio?¿Pusiste el cronómetro al azar?"

"È buona pratica."

The boy wonder gave a frustrated sigh, somehow able to follow his mentor's words and respond in kind. "Non credo che gli altri sarà come essere gettati in curva palle per la pratica."

"Не сначала, но они будут ожидать их достаточно скоро." Everyone blinked again as the two switched to a nearly impossible to place language.

Even Robin seemed to have trouble speaking it, giving Batman an opening on accident as he tried to respond. "Насколько долго к Вам разговор?"

"Două mai multe minute. Rusă dumneavoastră are nevoie de unele de lucr." The dark knight's tone was enough to tell the teens he wasn't pleased with their last volley. As the boy did a quick flip and turn to dodge a well timed kick.

There seemed to be a bit relieved to hear this language and it flowed easily from his mouth. Probably the first language after English he learned. "Bit prins în japoneză."

"Hm. Vom lucra pe ea." Robin nodded in agreement and the two continued to fight for a while longer in silence. Everyone stared at the two in confusion and bewilderment because of their conversation. Each teen could catch parts of different languages, but not enough of any of them to make sense out of it. Finally the two stopped fighting, Robin panting heavier than Batman. The dark knight gave him a moment to breathe before continuing in that last language again. "Începeţi se intinde pe dumneavoastră. După ce am terminat să vorbesc cu ei, să le ia la camerele lor şi a lovit dușurile. Cina în două ore."

"10-4," Robin nodded, focusing more on his breathing than on anything else, then looked up at the group, giving them a quick grin and wave. "Hey guys. How's it hanging?"

"How's it hanging?" Wally ran right up to meet his best friend. "Dude! I haven't seen you in three months and all you say is how's it hanging?"

"Been a bit busy," Robin laughed, grabbing a water bottle off to the side. "Gotta get back in shape if I want to continue this and all that jazz. Besides, we talked yesterday."

"Socialize later." Everyone stopped approaching the duo, each hoping to talk to Robin for a moment. The boy wonder gave a quick nod to his mentor and started guzzling his drink in earnest as Batman turned firmly to the crowd. The teens stood at attention, partly out of habit but mostly because of how serious and intimidating Batman was. "What you all witnessed was a taste of what is to come.

"For the next three months, each and every one of you will endure intense training in combat, strategy, and survival. No powers will be used while under my tutelage. No gear, no weapons and no assistance unless instructed otherwise. Collars will be issued tomorrow to ensure these rules are not broken. They will only be removed when your individual mentors come for your personal training.

"You will remain in uniform at all times and will only use your code names while you remain in the Hall. There will be one hour each day for relaxation. Meals and sleeping arrangements are already decided. Field medical training will be used once the exercise is finished. There will be no coddling, and few breaks. It will be hell, and you will thank me for it."

"Thank you for it?" Conner gave him a bewildered and slightly upset look. He wanted to go back to Smallville for the fair, and take M'gann there with him. This was definitely a problem for him.

"What happened three months ago will not happen again. Never again." Batman gave his most determined glare. "Should you meet Kaldur'ahm again, or any other criminal with more field experience, you will be prepared.

"These are the conditions for the team to return to full service. You leave, you're off the team. I won't send anyone on League missions who isn't fully capable of surviving another assault of that magnitude."

"And why am I here?" Roy raised an eyebrow, knowing full well being direct with Batman wasn't going to get him in trouble. "I'm not part of the team, never was."

"You want a chance at taking him down?" Roy couldn't help but to smirk, his expression almost identical to Batman's. "Three months with me, and you'll have all the skills necessary to hunt him down."

"Or you could join up part-time," Robin chipped in before grabbing another bottle. Wally grinned beside him and looked straight towards Roy. "Just an option."

"It's still likely he will approach you individually," Batman continued. "He has yet to make an appearance, and he hasn't made a move against anyone in the League besides Aquaman. It's likely he won't come forward until either the war is settled or once he has a solid plan to take each of you down. For now, he won't get that chance."

"So we're grounded?" Artemis asked incredulously.

"You're in training. The door's over there if you want to leave."

Everyone stood still, a grim determination written over each face. Megan still looked torn between emotions, but she settled herself with a short nod. No one objected. They were going to stay.

Batman gave a short nod. "The rest of the day is yours. Tomorrow morning, report here, full gear. Robin will show you where you'll be sleeping."

"This way." Robin grinned, taking his empty water bottles as he led them out the room. Everyone but Batman followed him, each ready to start this summer, and hopefully end it in one piece.

* * *

><p>Batman stayed where he was until the door closed, then gave a long sigh. He wasn't quite sure if this was the right course of action, but it was what Robin needed. He needed more training, enough to defeat Kaldur'ahm when they met again, enough so Batman didn't worry about him in the field. He needed his friends, and to trust them and work with them just as easily as he worked with his mentor. By seeing what Robin needed, he prayed it was exactly what the rest of them needed too.<p>

Slowly he walked to the water bottles and grabbed one, along with a towel. Robin was getting much better. They had fought for nearly three hours straight and the kid was still able to stand. They agreed to change languages should they need to talk. The times between who attacked and who defended varied, but for a while there was a pattern. Robin had commented on the pattern. His Russian needed work. Training with the kid was always a workout.

He couldn't imagine how training ten teenagers would affect him.

Finally he found himself a bench at the side of the room and sat down, occasionally taking a drink from his bottle. This was the decision he made, and he was going to accept this. While he trained the next generation, Black Canary would protect Gotham. The word on the street was Robin died three months ago. Batman had become more violent in his absence. It was believable he'd take some time off for a nervous breakdown after the boy's death, or suffer a harsh bodily injury without his help. It might even be believable he's using this time to train a new partner. Robin's return will bring every villain to their knees.

Calmly he recalled telling Black Canary his plans. She wasn't happy to say the least. "Look I have no say about how you raise your kid, but I'm the one who's supposed to train them. We agreed to this. Wild Cat taught me everything he knows. I can handle the children better than you. What they need is time."

"They've had time," Batman growled, crouched on his gargoyle. "And they're not children. Robin's fourteen. I met Chu-Hui Sensei around then. By the time I was Roy's age, I had seven teachers. They can take this."

"They aren't you!" Dinah barked back. "You didn't have your best friend betray you! You weren't beaten near to death by him! They need time! They need compassion they need—"

"No more coddling!" He jumped to his feet, frustration reaching its peak. "We've coddled them! Protected them! Trained them with kid gloves! And what happened?"

Black Canary stopped short. She knew how much Robin meant to him. Furthermore, she knew how much the others meant to Robin. And because of Robin's caring heart, Batman had grown fond of the rest of the team. Hurting Robin alone gained the Bat's wrath. Hurting his friends as well, there was little compassion left in the man.

And in a way he was right. They protected the kids too much. They weren't really prepared for the possibility of a mole. When any traumatizing event struck the group, they had therapy. Batman's activities were therapy. His intensity came from trauma. Seeing the team, his boy, in such a state only added to it.

"It is not happening again! Criminals never take it easy on them! We can't either! The kid gloves are coming off!" He turned away from her, shooting off a line. "After summer, they're yours to up keep. Until then, they're mine."

He left her on that rooftop, just as determined as he was now. Yes he wasn't sure if this was best for all of them, but it was best for Robin. No more coddling. On the streets of Gotham he could protect his charge, but when he was out of his sight, he had to trust others and Robin to handle themselves. Batman was just making sure they could.

* * *

><p>"Man," Wally started, "this is gonna suck!"<p>

"You don't know the half of it." Robin tossed his two empty bottles away before starting a third, this one less greedily than the other two. "Batman's pretty intense. We've been at it for three hours."

"Only three hours?" Donna asked curious. Everyone stared at her in surprise. Three hours of fighting like that and her tone told them she wasn't impressed. She shrugged. "In Themescara, we have tournaments lasting for days."

"Damn." Roy blinked in shock. "You amazons really take your combat training seriously."

"No kidding. Dad only had me hold my bow taunt for an hour," Artemis interjected. She turned to Robin and stopped short of her next comment when she realized they were nearly eye to eye. "Whoa! When did you get that tall?"

Everyone jerked in surprise at her comment to see what she was talking about only to realize the same thing. Robin grinned before taking another swig from his bottle. The teen had grown at least four inches since they last saw him. He still had the baby face they knew and loved, but now the argument of who was the shortest was in debate.

"Oh, just over the past few months. Joints sometimes hurt like crazy, but a few tumbles and I'm right as rain. When did you start shaving KF?" Everyone then turned on Wally, who, now that everyone was getting a good look at each other, was also notably taller and had a few small scars on his chin. His shoulders were broader too.

Wally tried to laugh it off. "Er, about two weeks ago. Mom told me if I grew a beard she'd starve me."

"Bad enough you went back to work before your knee fully healed eh?"

"It's fine," the speedster quickly told the rest before they started to get on his case. "Just a little stiff every once in a while. A few seconds of running and I'm right as rain."

Robin smirked. "Tell that to your uncle."

Wally rolled his eyes. "Are you ever gonna let that down?"

"Probably not." The rest of them looked between the friends, wondering what they were talking about, but neither of them would explain. Roy just shook his head. Some private conversations between the three of them remained private.

"So," Roy started, driving the subject back to the matter at hand, "where are we sleeping?"

Robin nodded, pointing the way as he walked. "In our mentor's rooms. You're going in GA's I'm afraid. Artemis is going in Canary's."

"They have separate rooms?" The two were going out for years. It was surprising they hadn't moved into every aspect of their lives. Robin nodded then Roy doubled back on himself. "Wait, why am I in _his_ room? Aren't there guest rooms or ones no one uses?"

"You're in his because then you can mess with what he has there." Robin continued to lead them down a series of hallways, apparently very familiar with the place. Knowing him, he either memorized the blueprints while it was being built or had snuck in one time to play hide and seek. "There aren't guest rooms, only temp quarters. And they're nearly always in use. Lesser known league members rest up here quite often. Not everyone's allowed into the Watchtower."

"Surprised you haven't hacked the system to go there yet," Conner murmured.

Robin gave an annoyed grunt. "Can't get to the controls. Bats isolated them and put them under a different encryption code. He's trusting Blue Beetle with Watchtower security access."

"What?" Everyone behind the bird boy looked at each other, taken back. "Blue Beetle? Who's that? Batman's letting someone else take care of it? Weird…"

The boy wonder gave a shrug. "He's a real tech wizard. Can't blame the kid for liking him really."

"Who?" Conner asked curious.

Robin looked up, caught written across his face. "Not important. Forget you heard that. What is important is where everyone's sleeping. Bat's is in his room and I get Green Lantern's. Flash to Flash, Super to Super, Martian to Martian, Amazon to Amazon, magician to magician, and Atlantian to Atlantian-"

"What?"

Nearly everyone stopped short, their eyes wide and their pulse's racing. Atlantian? "What do you mean by Atlantian? Who's here? How can anyone expect us to work with another one?"

Robin took a deep breath before explaining. They were nearly at their first destination anyway. To the side was a room marked Water Exercise Room. He settled in front of it before continuing.

"It was a lot of people's idea. When they heard about Kaldur's actions, they wanted to hunt him down too and get a good explanation from him. Well," Robin pressed the panel, opening the doors and revealing the two Atlantian teenagers practicing their water powers on each other. Neither was backing down. "Tula wanted an explanation. Garth just wanted to hit him. Everyone, meet Aquagirl and Aqualad, our new resident Atlantians. They'll be working with us in rotation until the war below is settled. Tula's staying in Hawkgirl's old room since she moved in with Hawkman for good."

"Aqua…girl?" Wally gaped at the late adolescent female making water constructs and directing them at her close ally.

"Aqualad…" Roy's eyes narrowed. It'd take him a long time to think of this purple eyed fishboy with this alias. Kaldur was once a close friend. Replacing that traitor with someone else, no matter the conditions, wouldn't be easy.

Almost as if they heard their names being spoken, the two stopped their fight and looked at the teens dodeling in the doorway. Robin and Donna stepped forward to break the ice between the new members and the older ones. "Garth, Tula, I'd like you to meet the rest of the team. This is Roy, Wally, M'gann, Conner, Artemis and Zatanna. Or starting tomorrow until school starts again, Red Arrow, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Superboy, Artemis and Zatanna. Guys, Aqualad and Aquagirl."

Garth approached them first, extending a hand in friendship, though with wise caution. "Hello. It's a pleasure to finally meet—"

"How do you know Aquaman?" Roy immediately demanded. His voice almost meshed with Conner's, and their tones were identical. They gave each other a glance and nodded, knowing the other had thought the same thing. Trust nothing at face value, especially when background information was hard to attain. Robin seemed to be rolling his eyes at the two of them, but said nothing since everyone else but Donna had a suspicious look on their faces.

Wasn't exactly making Garth feel at home. The teen took his hand back wearily before answering. "King Orin found me after I was abandoned as a child. He took me to be raised at the Conservatory of Sorcery in Atlantis. I believe I was four at the time."

"You were abandoned?" M'gann (having finally shed her human disguise) asked him, concern filling her voice. The defensive edge on everyone's faces shrunk considerably hearing this.

Garth nodded and was about to explain himself further when Tula stepped forward, determined to explain her motives as well. "I served and studied under the previous king, Arthur. Atlantis is our home and we've known each other most of our lives. We begged King Orin to allow us to right the wrongs Kaldur'ahm did to you. We will redeem our people in your eyes and earn your trust."

There was a long pause before Artemis spoke, almost as if she was testing them. "Just have to know, how good are you?"

Both the aqua teens smirked, glancing at each other briefly before answering. "Kal never defeated either of us at the Conservatory. He may be better at hand to hand combat than us at the moment, but he left his studies too soon to reach our levels of powers."

Garth continued, stepping forward to Roy. "Just to make it clear, I'm not fond of the Aqualad title. Our King insists I use it. If it were me," he smirked, some darker humor entering his voice, "I'd prefer Tempest."

Roy stared into the fishboy's violet eyes for a minute in silence, then gave an equally dark smirk as he offered his hand to him. "Nice to meet you. When I find that traitor, wanna join me for target practice?"

"More than anything." Garth clasped Roy's hand, a dark friendship starting to form between them.

"Okay, it's official." Everyone looked at Robin, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Kaldur's gonna get it. The only questions we've got though are who's going to get him first and when. But when he does show his face, please consider everyone else. There are other things hanging in the balance at the moment, and we really don't want to get on the bad side of the League."

"I thought you wanted to get even with him," Wally interjected. "After all, he—"

"Of course I want to get him." Robin glared darkly. If anyone thought otherwise after what happened between them, they'd have to be insane. "But everyone's safety is important. There's quite a bit more on the line here than our own vendettas."

"We'll save you a piece of him," Roy joked as he released Garth's hand.

"You better."

"Leave some for the rest of us will ya?" Conner grabbed the attention of everyone, and they all exchanged dark smirks. "We're all going to take him down."

"Agreed," Tula spoke quietly. Artemis gave a firm nod and M'gann a shaky one. Wally merely gave a dark grin while Donna and Zatanna exchanged looks of caution. Neither of them had hurt feelings, so it'd be best if they stayed out of it.

"That being said," Robin started again after this moment of vengeful bonding, "welcome to Batman Boot Camp. Almost on par with marine basic training, without the guns and regular drills. And once we've passed his tests, and his horrible cooking, we'll be free to terrorize criminal activities on a global scale."

Everyone grinned. This was going to be an interesting summer.

END

* * *

><p>AN: So yeah, I've finally got Roy into the story, plus Zatanna. But I also put in Garth and Tula to take care of what the Atlantians are doing about all of this. And for those who don't know about Donna Troy, she's the original Wonder Girl and she has so many origin stories I can pretty much write her up any way I feel like it. So she's more like a younger version of Justice League Unlimited's Diana/ Wonder Woman. In the comics she really had a romantic relationship with Roy for a long time, but she broke it off after hearing a prophecy of how her red haired husband would die (broke his heart to save his life). Then he met Cheshire. Donna and Dick get along as very good friends but have no romance between them. Don't know about KF or Garth's relationships with her, just that they end up with different girls anyway.

So for those who've been keeping track, I've pretty much got all the original Teen Titans in the same room! Plus three people outside their generations (Doesn't Zatanna go with Batman's generation? M'gann and Conner belong with Tim, Cassie and Bart), a reformed villain (look up Artemis Crock some time), and a future dead girl. yay for me!

Now for the things I wanted to add but couldn't find the place to put them. Unlike the others who get a day or two a week with their mentors and one hour off the clock over summer, Robin gets one day a week off to recooperate and have some alone time. Only Batman gets no time for himself. It's not favoritism, its the fact that everyone needs to get away from the Bat every once in a while and his kid is no exception.

Donna's origin story is actually much longer than what I put here, but that's alright! She's pretty much cannon so I'm not worried. Just know she's very much trusted by Diana and is pretty much her sister.

Zatanna didn't say much because there really wasn't much for her to say. she's the newbie so going through this is pretty much just to keep her in the club. She also voiced my thought on how boring Kaldur really is.

i'm not sure what Barry's reaction was to Wally running around Central before his last checkup with Doctor Midnight. Don't really care either. Just that Rob's kept in contact with each of his friends is all that matters, Roy and Wally especially.

I don't want to know what's in Ollie's room there. All i know is he's not going to like the way Roy messes with it later. Artemis got Canary's room because she's a girl. Same with Tula getting Hawkgirl's. Couldn't think of another long time leaguer female she could temporarily room in. Rob gets the Lantern room because Supe's was taken and Batman can't be seen coddling or favoring him. If he were younger, I'd put them in the same room but he's 14! sheesh... ten is where I draw the line. yes they were in the same bed in 'Hero's Debt' but the kid was just kidnapped and Bruce couldn't take him home when he was stuck in a hospital. No familiar secure surroundings, they needed some extra comfort.

As for Robin's height and Wally shaving, there's very good reasons for this. Robin is 14, and really, Dick's a tall guy. Then's the regular time for kids to shoot up like weeds. And if he's resting and gone that much, he's gotta have grown quite a bit. he'd grow another few inches before summer's out too. as for wally, well remember how something changed in him when he fought Kaldur? And then his healing went farther along than before? well I read somewhere that Wally's superspeed was also causing him to age rapidly. For a while KF was retired so he didn't run himself into being an old man and dying before his time. That changed after the first Crisis, when Barry died and he took up the Flash mantle. No more superaging.

And yes, Batman boot camp is going to be pretty intense. They will get all the training they need to basically become Robin if they had to. No one's too happy about this, but it was the only really good solution they could come up with.

I think I've covered everything. Thanks for reading! Translations on what Bats and Rob were saying are below, along with what the blasted language is. I don't speak anything but English fluently. Love internet translators.

* * *

><p><strong>Translations:<strong>

Robin "J'ai cru que j'avais cinq minutes. - I thought I had five minutes." (French)

Batman "Das Feld gibt dir keine fünf Minuten. - The field doesn't give you five minutes." (German)

Robin "Ich denke, dass ich das bereits wusste, aber das letzte Mal bekam ich fünf Minuten. - I think I already knew that, but the last time I got five minutes."

Batman "Los tiempos varían. - Times vary." (Spanish)

Robin "¿En serio?¿Pusiste el cronómetro al azar? - You put the timer on random? Seriously?"

Batman "È buona pratica. - It's good practice." (Italian)

Robin "Non credo che gli altri sarà come essere gettati in curva palle per la pratica. - Don't think the others will like being thrown curve balls for practice."

Batman "Не сначала, но они будут ожидать их достаточно скоро. - Not at first, but they'll expect them soon enough." (Russian)

Robin "Насколько долго к Вам разговор? - How much long to you talk?" meant 'how much longer until your speech?'

Batman "Două mai multe minute. Rusă dumneavoastră are nevoie de unele de lucr. - Two more minutes. Your Russian needs some work." (Romanian)

Robin "Bit prins în japoneză. - Bit caught up on Japanese."

Batman "Hm. Vom lucra pe ea. Începeţi se intinde pe dumneavoastră. După ce am terminat să vorbesc cu ei, să le ia la camerele lor şi a lovit dușurile. Cina în două ore. - Hm. We'll work on it. Start your stretches. Once I'm done talking to them, take them to their rooms and hit the showers. Dinner's in two hours."


End file.
